Eyes Wide Open
by SehunsBae37
Summary: Following James' attack, Bella wakes up in the hospital not only with the injuries she sustained, but completely blind. Though she can no longer physically see anymore, Bella's eyes have never been open more clearly, something she soon discovers along her journey through darkness. And by her side the entire time is her best friend, Jacob.
1. Chapter 1

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 1

"Bella? Bella honey, can you hear me? Are you waking up now?"

Bella groaned as she slowly came back to the world of consciousness. Her mother's voice sounded so loud right now and she hadn't even opened her eyes yet. Turning her head to face her mother she asked softly, "Mom, what happened?"

"Well, you hurt your leg for one. Apparently you were running away from an argument you had with your boyfriend and tripped down a flight of stairs. And then you fell out of a window and hit your head," Renee told her.

Bella opened her eyes with a frown, knowing good and hell well that that didn't happen. However that wasn't what was bothering her at the moment. No, it was the fact that her eyes were open—and she knew her eyes were open—yet it was so dark. Why was her mother sitting in the dark with her?

Looking to where she assumed her mother was sitting in the dark she asked, "Mom, what time is it?" She lifted her hand and rubbed her eye a bit. "It's so dark in here. Why are you sitting in the dark?"

Renee frowned at her daughter and looked out the window into the blue sky of Pheonix, Arizona. Turning back to face Bella she said, "Honey, it's twelve-thirty in the afternoon. What makes you think it's dark?"

The brunette blinked at hearing Renee's words before her heart started racing in her chest. Sitting up she lifted her hand and waved it in front of her face, but she couldn't see it. She couldn't see anything. It was just dark, just blackness. Beginning to hyperventilate she called out louder than needed, "Mom!"

"Bella, it's alright. I'm right here." Renee reached out and grabbed the arm that Bella was flailing around. She hardly noticed Edward, who had been asleep on the couch in the hospital room, wake up and look at Bella in concern. Standing up she held her daughter to her as Bella frantically grabbed onto her, tears standing in her eyes. Looking down at her feeling frantic she asked, "Bella, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I can't see!" Bella yelled as her tears fell down her face, looking up at where she thought her mother's face was. "I can't see anything! I'm awake and I can't see!"

* * *

Renee and Charlie listened to Bella's doctor explain to them that though there were cracks in Bella's skull from hitting her head hardly against whatever she hit it against, they hadn't considered the extent of damage to her head that had been done due to her being unconscious. It was determined that when Bella received her head injury, not only was her skull cracked but her brain began to put pressure on her optic nerves to the point that they were completely cut off. The damage was already done and he diagnosed Bella as totally blind and possibly would never be able to have her sight ever again.

"I know this is a lot to take in, especially considering the amount of injuries Isabella sustained before being brought to us. But I have faith that your daughter will be able to return to life as she knew it before. She'll just have to learn to navigate it without depending on her sight anymore," the doctor told them with a kind smile. He stood up and excused himself, telling them that they could return to their daughter's side while he went to make his rounds.

Once the doctor left Renee turned to her ex-husband who was sitting deep in thought, his chocolate brown eyes looking off into space. Leaning towards him slightly she said in a soft voice, "Charlie."

Charlie looked at his ex-wife and saw the worry in her eyes. Like her, he was worried too. Their daughter was never going to be able to look at them again, to see the world as she once had. But he believed she'd be alright, especially once she recovered from her other injuries. Reaching over to take Renee's hand he gave it a gentle, comforting squeeze before saying, "It'll be alright, Renee. Bella is a strong girl; I'm sure she'll be alright."

"I hope so." Renee held onto Charlie's hand as she wiped a tear from her eye. Sighing softly she suggested they go and see Bella again to deliver the news the doctor told them. She was bound to be devastated, but they planned on being with her every step of the way and helping her through it. Bella may be blind now, but Charlie was sure she'd be able to still see clearly through the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 2

Bella sat quietly at the kitchen table as she listened to her father move around the kitchen, the sound of the coffee maker brewing in the background. She had become accustomed to certain sounds in the kitchen, seeming to like to spend most of her time there since coming back home to Forks after spending time in the hospital. It was Saturday and she knew that it was the night of the Forks High School prom. She actually hadn't been back to school since returning, nor had she heard from any of her friends. Well, except for Angela who she actually felt good talking on the phone with.

Charlie sat across from her with a cup of coffee, gently pushing another one her way. Once it was in front of her he watched his daughter lift her hand from her lap and touch the edge of the table. She then edged her hand towards the cup of coffee before finally touching the mug. She slowly pulled it towards her and lifted it with both hands to her lips, taking a sip of her coffee. Charlie smiled seeing that Bella was more comfortable moving around though her world was forever dark. She seemed to be staring off into space, but she would always fix her eyes somewhere because she never knew where to look anymore.

Clearing his throat gently he asked, "So kiddo, how are you this morning?"

Bella hummed a little before answering, "Okay, I guess. I've got my shirt on right this time."

Charlie cracked a small smile remembering how Bella had been having trouble figuring out if her shirt was on right or not. Taking a sip of his coffee he said, "It's the prom today. Are you going?"

"No, I'm not nor have ever been interested in prom."

"I didn't think so. It's not really your scene."

"Do you even know my scene, dad?"

"Well if you're anything like me, you prefer solitude and don't like crowds."

Bella smiled a let out a soft laugh, her brown eyes flickering over towards his face before looking down. She tapped her finger against her coffee mug before saying, "Yeah, I don't want to go. I mean, I don't like dressing up, I don't like crowds, and I have this boot on my leg. It's better for me if I just stay home."

Charlie heard what his daughter didn't say: _I don't want everyone looking at me now that I'm blind._ Bella hadn't returned to school since she was currently adjusting to moving around without the aid of her sight. She rarely used her white cane around the house, but Charlie knew she'd have to get used to using it when she eventually left the house. But she was scared and refused to leave the house. She even refused going out anywhere when her boyfriend came about. He was afraid she was going to become a hermit because she wasn't ready to face the world without being able to see. However he believed that with a bit of coaxing she would go out. If he or Edward couldn't get her to leave the house, he could think of only one person who could.

A knock on the door was heard and Bella heard Charlie set his of coffee down to go answer the door. But for some reason she wanted to be the one to answer the door. Feeling her father walk past her she reached out and grabbed Charlie's shirt, lightly pulling on it causing him to stop. When she figured she had his attention she said, "I…I want to answer the door."

The police chief looked at his daughter before nodding and gently taking the hand that had his shirt. He helped Bella to stand up and let go of her hand, watching her slowly make her way out of the kitchen. She was walking a bit slow due to her boot, but other than that she seemed fine. She trailed her hand along the wall until she finally reached the door. Reaching out she grabbed the door handle and opened the door. Before she could reach out for the screen door handle she heard, "Hi Bells!"

Bella's eyes widened before her mouth spread in a smile. She reached out for the screen door, but she heard it open before she could grab the handle. She heard extra movement that sounded kind of like metal, so she backed up a bit figuring it had to be Billy as well as Jacob. After a bit of clattering sounds, the sound of squeaking wheels were heard before a large warm hand grabbed hers, followed by Billy's deep voice.

"Hello Bella; you're looking well," Billy greeted with a warm smile, though he knew the brunette couldn't see it.

"Hi Billy," Bella replied with a small smile. She lifted her eyes to where she figured Jacob was and greeted, "Hi Jake."

Jacob grinned at the brunette and moved over towards her before enveloping her in a big, warm hug. Bella's eyes widened at the sudden movement, especially considering she hadn't heard his footsteps at all. However she relaxed and returned Jacob's hug, reveling in how warm he felt. Actually, he felt warmer than he probably should have been. If she thought about it his skin felt more than a bit feverish.

Pulling away slightly she looked up to where she figured his face was and asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel great, especially now that I'm finally able to see you."

She couldn't fight the blush that rose on her cheeks and awkwardly patted Jacob's shoulder, only it didn't feel like his shoulder. Frowning a little and rubbed the area that she had patted, noting that it felt kind of like a muscular chest. Placing both hands on his chest she felt along his shirt covered chest and up to his shoulder's, noting she was reaching up a bit higher than she previously had when she last hugged Jacob.

"Enjoying feeling the boy up, kiddo?" Charlie suddenly asked with mirth in his voice.

Bella snatched her hands away from Jacob and placed them behind her back, her face burning and most likely than not bright red. She heard Charlie and Billy chuckle at her before she cleared her throat and said, "Wow Jake, you've seemed to have grown. I guess you were still growing and the rest of your growth spurt kicked in."

Jacob looked at his dad and slowly said, "Yeah, that's one way of putting it."

Charlie nodded and said, "Yeah, and the boy cut his hair too. Though I will admit the short cut looks good on him."

"You cut your hair?" Bella asked incredulously. She loved his long hair and couldn't imagine him cutting it, especially when he had told her he didn't plan on ever cutting it.

"Yeah, but it's okay. I guess I just…wanted a change." Jacob hoped that sounded convincing enough to Bella. He couldn't tell her what was really going on, especially while she was dealing with being blind.

The corners of Bella's mouth turned down, knowing her best friend wasn't telling her the truth. The hesitance in his voice let her know it. However she decided not to call him out on it, instead smiling when Charlie invited Billy for a beer and to watch the game. The Mariner's weren't playing until later, so she figured the Blacks were going to be here for a while. That was alright though, because she had Jacob to keep her company.

* * *

Hours had past and Bella couldn't remember a time when she smiled so much before going blind. She was greatly enjoying her time with Jacob and loved listening to his laugh. It was so joyful and enchanting; she wished she could see his face. She'd bet it was shining with happiness.

At the moment they were upstairs in her room talking, both of them seated on her bed, though Bella had her booted leg propped up to rest it. They were so engrossed in their conversation that the knock on the bedroom door startled them. Bella turned her head towards the door and called, "Y-Yes?"

The door cracked open and Charlie poked his head in. He smiled and said, "Hey guys. Just checking to make sure you're okay."

"We're fine, dad," Bella replied.

"Alright, just making sure. Also, Alice Cullen called about ten minutes ago. She wanted to come over to do your hair and makeup for prom. But when I told her you had no intention of going, she seemed shocked. I thought you told her you weren't interested."

Bella blinked in surprise at the news, never having taken into account that Alice might have expected her to go to prom. Not only her, but Edward too. Because her booted foot was resting against Jacob's leg, she could feel him tense a little; she wondered why. Pushing that thought to the back of her head she asked Charlie, "What did she say?"

"Something about Edward being really upset and how much he loved you and other stuff I drowned out; sorry kiddo."

Despite what her father had said, Bella couldn't help but giggle a little. Getting her bearings she said, "I'll call Edward soon to apologize."

Charlie nodded and shared a look with Jacob, both of their expressions obvious wishes that Bella wasn't involved with the Cullen boy. When he left and closed the door behind him Jacob asked, "So Bella, have you been outside since you've been home?"

Shaking her head Bella answered, "No, I haven't. I'm…" She took a deep breath before continuing. "…I'm afraid to, to be honest. I'm afraid I'm going to bump into people and things and be even clumsier than I already am. I could barely step without tripping when I could see, so I can only imagine what could happen now."

"But you have your walking stick."

"It's called a white cane. But I don't want to use it. I don't want people looking at me."

"Bella, people are going to look at you regardless for some reason or another. People are going to talk about you behind your back and there isn't anything you can do about it. But you can't let them get to you, because if you do that means that they've won." Jacob gently took Bella's hands in his, letting her feel the warmth of his hands. "It's okay to be afraid, but I'm here with you. We all are because we care about you. And we want to see you getting back out into the world again. Sure, you may be walking in darkness, but I'll be your light if you'll let me."

The brunette stayed silent for a moment, letting Jacob's words tumble around in her mind. They were so wise and she was surprised that they had come from a fifteen year old boy. She almost didn't want to believe his words, but her heart was telling her to trust him. With a smile Bella said softly, "Okay."

Jacob's brown eyes widened and he looked into Bella's chocolate brown ones. "Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. But can it be after the boot comes off? It's heavy and makes walking somewhat awkward."

"You're already awkward, so I don't see how it makes a difference."

Jacob laughed loudly when Bella reached over and smacked him in his head, causing her to laugh as well at her good aim. He knew she'd be alright and would learn to navigate being blind just fine. She just needed a bit of persuasion. Jacob was glad he was going to be able to help his best friend out and help her to see, even when she couldn't.

* * *

Downstairs Billy and Charlie listened to their offspring laughing together, matching smiles on their faces. Looking at his best friend Charlie said, "Thanks for coming over, Billy. And thanks for bringing Jacob. I figured if anything or anyone could make Bella feel somewhat normal again, it was your boy."

Billy waved off Charlie's words and replied, "It's fine, chief. Besides, Jake has been bothering me nonstop to come and see Bella ever since I let him know you two had returned from Arizona. It looks like she's adjusting, though."

"She is, but I don't think she sees it that way. She doesn't even realize she's making progress moving around and locating things every day. I'm positive within the next two weeks she'll be able to move around this house flawlessly as if she wasn't blind at all."

"That's good, that's good. But what about when she ventures outside?"

Charlie sighed and said, "That's where I'm hoping Jake will step in. She won't step outside for me or even for her boyfriend. I'm hoping your son will be able to convince her to give walking around outside a go."

Billy held his bottle of beer to his lips and said before taking a swig, "Trust me Charlie, he will."


	3. Chapter 3

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 3

Edward pulled into the driveway of the Swan household after school, a notebook and folder chocked full of notes and such to go over with Bella in his book bag. He had been talking with her teachers and the principal, and got them to agree for Bella to be able to take her final exams at home to be turned in by the end of the school year, which was in just three weeks. It was decided that a proctor would come to the her home and test her, recording the answers Bella spoke on a tape recorder seeing as she couldn't read them. Also, he planned to spend the summer vacation with her in order to teach her Braille so that she could be able to read with her sense of touch. He was happy to relay this information to her, knowing she would be happy as well.

He hadn't been able to spend much time with his love ever since she returned home after becoming blind. It was like she didn't want to do anything or go out anymore. She had even declined prom, something he had wanted her to experience despite her protests. Edward was sure she would appreciate this gesture he did for her; she did love him after all and he was looking out for her wellbeing. But he still felt completely guilty that her being injured and blind was essentially his fault. Then again, she wouldn't be if she hadn't stupidly gone off to face James by herself. However he wouldn't say that to her, as Bella most likely already knew it.

Getting out of his silver Volvo he walked up to the front door and knocked, frowning when he could smell the scent of wet dog from inside the house. Raising his fist he lightly knocked on the door, waiting patiently to hear his love's voice or for someone to come to the front door. When no one did, he knocked again and was met with silence. He didn't even hear movement inside of the house. Was Bella not home? It would seem like she wasn't. He frowned and pulled out his cell phone to ring Bella, positive her phone was on her person when he heard the rumble of the police cruiser engine coming down the street. Squaring his shoulders he turned and patiently waited for Chief Swan to pull into his driveway, positive Bella was with her father.

Charlie scowled seeing that stupid Volvo that belonged to his daughter's boyfriend in his driveway and parked behind Bella's truck, irritated the silver piece of junk was in his spot. And of course the boy was standing on his front porch. Getting out of his car he walked towards his home, his glare intensifying as he approached Edward.

"Chief Swan, good afternoon," Edward greeted politely while trying to keep the tick of his eyebrow down at hearing the man's less than friendly thoughts about him.

"It was," Charlie replied before walking past him to stand in front of his door. Turning to face him he asked, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Edward gave a tight smile before answering, "I'm here to see Bella. I have come to help her study for finals and bring her some good news I know she'd like to hear."

"Oh really? And how would you know that the news you give to my daughter will make her happy? Was this something you decided without even asking her about it? Bella doesn't like decisions being made for her. So if you've decided something without letting her know before doing it, then I suggest you step back and think on it. I won't have you controlling Bella any more than you already have. Now get off my porch and off my property."

The vampire was taken aback at the police chief's words filled with such blatant hostility. Did he really think he was trying to control Bella? Of course not, he loved her. He would never do anything to try and control the girl he was in love with. And Bella didn't think he was controlling; she loved him and appreciated his actions that kept her safe, considering how accident prone and fragile she was. Deciding not to let that bother him he turned to leave, but stopped and turned back to the police chief. Giving Charlie a polite smile he said, "I meant no harm in my words, Chief Swan. Would you let Bella know that I stopped by?"

Charlie rolled his eyes and nodded before turning back to unlock his home and walk inside, having no intention of letting Bella know her creepy boyfriend had stopped by. Besides, she was out with Jacob at the moment and he wasn't going to ruin her time with him by mentioning her boyfriend. What he didn't know however, was that Edward had heard all of his thoughts and a deep frown settled on his face.

Walking back to his car Edward resolved himself to go and search for Bella, figuring she was in town with Billy Black's son. He wouldn't be stupid enough to take her but so far anyway. He was sure to find them and would delightfully interrupt their time together.

* * *

Bella frowned when her white stick bumped into another rock as she and Jacob slowly walked along one of the many trails on the Reservation. They had already gone through town and she had gotten used to feeling the concrete through her white stick, so Jacob had suggested she try some different ground. She agreed and was glad he was going slow with her and helping her along. Sure she still had her boot on her foot, so it made walking a bit weird and wobbly, but she was definitely getting the hang of it.

"So, how are you feeling?" Jacob asked her after a while from where he was walking partially behind her. He could tell she was getting more confident with her white stick, but would always seem to hesitate to take a step when it bumped into a rock or knocked against a branch. But other than that, she was doing just fine.

"I feel good," Bella answered honestly. And she did. She felt so much better than she had before and was glad Jacob was helping her out. He didn't treat her like she had lost her sight, even now when the one thing in her hand made it obvious she had. He had been walking and talking beside her like everything was normal. And if she thought about it, it was. She felt normal with Jacob and she was happy to have him as her best friend.

They had been spending a lot of time together over the past few days ever since his first visit to her upon her return from Arizona. Of course Edward still visited her at night and spent time with her, but it just wasn't the same. Not the same because she was dating Edward, but because his presence was just different. With Edward she felt…almost hollow and like whatever she always experienced with him near was waning. But with Jacob, she felt warm and protected, like nothing could hurt her. It was a strange feeling considering she had once felt like that with Edward, but the spark suddenly wasn't there with him anymore. Maybe it was because she had been rebuffing him a lot while adjusting to being blind. She would have to make it up to Edward when she could, though knowing him he'd just brush it off and act like she hadn't done so.

Bella cleared her throat a little before saying, "It was nice of Billy to let you borrow his truck to bring me here. But do you even have a license to drive?"

Jacob chuckled and replied, "I've been driving since I was thirteen, and no I don't have one. And before you ask, Charlie knows I don't have one, too."

"He gives you special treatment anyway, so I'm not surprised he's lenient with you."

"Maybe because I'm his favorite person."

The brunette turned her head towards Jacob and stuck her tongue out at him, smiling when he busted into laughter. He wrapped his arm around her and used his free hand to ruffle her hair. She shook her head and got away from him, laughing along with him. They continued walking and before long they reached the end of the trail, though Bella didn't know that. She stopped briefly to stretch out her leg with the boot on it, the heavy thing a bit uncomfortable.

Bella's ears perked a bit when she could hear the faint sounds of people talking and laughing, causing her to look towards where the sound was coming from. Turning her head she asked, "Are there people nearby?"

Jacob looked at her and smiled, almost surprised her ears could pick up the sounds of people talking almost a half a mile away. Ever since Bella had lost her sight, her sense of hearing had gotten stronger each and every day. She was hearing almost as well as he could, though his was because of his enhanced senses due to his spirit wolf. He frowned slightly, wanting to tell Bella about it but having been forbidden to by Sam. Shaking his head from these thoughts he answered her question.

"Yeah, about half a mile away. We're still in La Push, but the trail we just got off of is a bit a ways from town. What you hear are people outside of the library."

"Library?" Bella said in excitement, her brown eyes shining and a smile appearing on her face. However her smile disappeared as a feeling of melancholy washed over her. She wouldn't be able to read any of the books there, or even browse the shelves to see what books were there or see what they were about.

Jacob had seen her shift in mood and he frowned as well. Bella loved to read, she loved books, and it was obvious she was feeling as if that was taken away from her now. He wished he could do something to help her, but he wouldn't know where to begin. Getting comfortable walking around blind was one thing, but reading? That was something he couldn't even begin to understand how to do.

A sudden thought came to him and a huge grin appeared on his face. He may not be able to teach Bella how to read while blind, but he knew someone who could! Grabbing Bella's hand he looked at her and said, "Bells, come one. I want you to meet someone."

Bella frowned a bit and allowed Jacob to drag her as quickly as her feet would carry her along the road into town. She didn't know where he was taking her, but he sounded excited about it, so she'd trust him.

* * *

Bella heard Jacob knock on a door and silence followed, making her wonder exactly where they were. Looking up to where Jacob's head was she asked, "Jake, where are we?"

"You'll see," Jacob said cryptically, making her frown a bit.

The sound of the door that Jacob had knocked upon unlocking caught her attention, and before long the door opened, the sounds of its hinges creaking. There was a moment of silence before a female voice spoke saying, "Young Jacob, welcome! Please, come inside." Jacob helped Bella inside and the sound of the door closing behind them was heard. "It's been a while since you've visited. How is Billy?"

"He's fine, Ms. Opal. But I wanted to introduce you to my friend here," Jacob replied. "Ms. Opal, this is my friend Bella. Bella, this is Ms. Opal. She runs La Push's antique shop."

"Nice to meet you," Bella said with a smile somewhat shyly. She shortened her white stick before holding out her hand for Ms. Opal to shake. A warm hand grasped hers gently and shook it before letting go.

"I see why you wanted me to meet her, Jacob," Opal said with a kind smile. "Our young friend is blind as well."

Bella's eyes widened upon hearing those words. Ms. Opal was blind, too? But she seemed to be moving around and such so well. She even knew where to grab her hand to shake. As if she knew what Bella was thinking, Ms. Opal giggled and said, "It's alright, dear. It took me some time to move around without my sight easily, but I eventually learned. And you will too as well in time."

"The reason I brought her here is for two reasons," Jacob said. "One is because I figured Bella might feel comfortable talking with someone who has gone through what she is now. She only recently became blind a few weeks ago and is just now getting out. The other reason is because she wants to read and believes she won't be able to anymore without her sight."

"Jake!" Bella softly cried, her cheeks turning pink. She hadn't expected him to do this, nor be so blunt about it. But even so, she sensed Ms. Opal was being understanding of the situation.

Ms. Opal nodded and replied, "I'd be happy to help. You can come visit me any time you'd like, Bella. My husband and I would enjoy the company."

"Husband?" Bella asked.

"He's currently at work in Port Angeles at the moment, but he'll be home later. Though I'm not sure you two will be here that long."

Jacob shook his head and said, "Sadly, we won't. I'll have to get Bella back home eventually and I've got things to take care of for Billy."

Bella turned towards him and asked, "Do you have to go now?"

"Not right now, but soon. But you're in good hands here, I promise."

Ms. Opal gently took Bella's hand and gave her a reassuring smile she couldn't see saying, "Don't worry dear, you'll be fine. Come, let's sit and talk a bit."

She led them over to her couch and the three of them sat down, soon all talking about little things and enjoying each others' company. Before long Ms. Opal asked Bella about how she became blind, the brunette telling her it was due to an accident. Jacob smiled watching the two females bond, happy to see Bella looking and feeling comfortable. Pretty soon their conversation drifted towards books, to which Ms. Opal made Bella an offer.

"You know Bella, I can teach you how to read in Braille if you'd like. It is a bit hard to get used to, but you'll get the hang of it, I'm sure. And I can even lend you some books written in Braille. And when you've completely gotten the hang of it, I can teach you to read the written words of books through your sense of touch as well."

"Thank you, that'd be wonderful," Bella replied with a smile. "Can you really read regular words on paper without Braille?"

Ms. Opal giggled and nodded, Bella sensing her do so. "If you'd like, we can start today. We'll start with the Braille alphabet and go from there. Jacob, would you be a dear and get my things from the bookshelf?"

Jacob nodded and stood up from the couch, walking over to the bookshelf. One shelf was marked with orange tape on both sides, indicating Ms. Opal's books and files in Braille. He searched the folders for a bit before grabbing one and walking back over to the two women. Handing it to Ms. Opal he said, "Here you go. Well, I have to get going. I'm on duty right now."

"For what?" Bella asked.

"Uh, for the…part time job I have."

"I didn't know you had a job."

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it eventually. Anyway, I have to go now. I'll be back for you after while, Bella."

Bella smiled at him and waved saying, "See you later, Jake."

Ms. Opal smiled and said, "We'll see you soon, Jacob. And when you get back, Bella will see and know the alphabet in a whole different way."

Jacob nodded and walked out of Ms. Opal's house, closing the door behind him. He let out a sigh and shook his head, hitting himself with the palm of his hand. He had almost slipped up, but he was able to catch himself. He seriously wanted to tell Bella about him being a spirit wolf Shifter, but he just couldn't do that. Maybe he could get her to figure it out on her own, but that could wait. Jacob smiled as he looked back at the door before turning and walking away. Bella was going to be just fine with Ms. Opal. And he knew that she'd be able to do more than she thought she could. He had faith in her, but she needed to have faith in herself first. Hopefully soon she'd see that.


	4. Chapter 4

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 4

Bella turned back to face Ms. Opal and smiled saying, "Thank you for today, Ms. Opal. And thank you for letting me borrow these books, though I don't think I'll read them yet until I'm fully confident enough in my understanding of Braille."

Ms. Opal smiled and said, "Of course dear, it's no rush. And thank you for keeping me company today. I hope I was of much help to you."

"You were, thanks so much."

"You're welcome, Bella. But the one you should thank is Jacob. It was so sweet of him to have us meet."

Bella smiled as she thought of her best friend. That boy, he was really sweet to have thought of her and help her meet someone that understood what she was going through. She often wondered if Jacob knew he was too sweet for his own good. He had been a great person to lean on the past few days, and she had told him he didn't need to help her, but he insisted that he wanted to and that he would always be there for her. And what made his words so grand was that she believed him. Nodding she told her she would and would see her again soon. Just as she said that there was a knock on the door.

Ms. Opal stood and walked to the door, grabbing the knob and opening it. Sensing who it was she smiled and greeted, "Hello Jacob. Back to pick up Bella, I see."

Jacob grinned and replied, "Yes, ma'am. I want to get her home before her dad gets off from work, and he'll be off soon."

"Of course, we don't want him to worry. Well Bella, it was great having you and I will see you again soon."

"You too, Ms. Opal. Maybe we can meet again some time next week."

"I'd like that."

"Great. Well, bye." Bella held the bag of books and Braille notes in one hand that Ms. Opal had given her—her white stick stuck in it as well—and reached out with her other to grab Jacob's. They went to leave Ms. Opal's home, but Bella stopped and turned back to the older woman, a sudden thought occurring to her. "Ms. Opal, I have another question. How did you know it was Jacob that was at the door when you answered it?"

Ms. Opal smiled and answered, "I sensed his aura."

"His aura?" A confused frown appeared on Bella's face.

With a chuckle Ms. Opal replied, "I'll explain the next time we meet. Until next time, Bella."

"Bye."

Jacob and Bella left Ms. Opal's house and Jacob helped her into his car. Once he was sure she was comfortable and properly seated, he walked around to the driver's side and got in. He then started the car and pulled away from the house and drove through La Push to head back to Forks. The two of them talked the whole way to her house, laughing and conversing like they have been for the past few days. Jacob had just told her about some shenanigans that his friends Embry and Quil had gotten into when they pulled up in front of her house, Bella's face pink with laughter and Jacob joining in with his own laughter.

Wiping the tears that had formed in her eyes Bella said, "Oh, they sound like a riot and so much fun. I'd love to meet them."

"Maybe next time you're on the Res I can introduce you to them," Jacob said with a smile.

The brunette nodded and unbuckled her seat belt, hearing Jacob do the same and get out of his car. The passenger side door opened and he helped her out, being mindful of her boot, and grabbed her bag before closing the door. He walked her to the door and passed her the bag as she opened the front door. Turning back to face Jacob she said, "Thanks for today, Jake. I had a lot of fun, even when you left me with Ms. Opal."

Grinning happily Jacob replied, "I'm glad. I hope the trail wasn't too bad for you."

"No, it was great. I actually liked feeling it through my white stick. I think I'll like using it better when I finally get this stupid boot off my foot."

The two of them shared a laugh before Bella bid Jacob goodbye and stood in the door way long enough to hear him start his car and drive away, Jacob honking the horn as he left. She closed and locked the front door and leant against it with a smile on her, feeling very giddy and warm inside. She couldn't explain why being with the boy made her feel that way, but he did. Deciding not to dwell on it she took her bag and navigated her way to the stairs and carefully climbed them until she reached the top landing. She then made her way to her bedroom and entered it, moving to her bed and setting the bag down on it. She reached in and pulled out her shortened white stick, moving to place it on her computer desk.

"Hello love."

Bella gasped in surprise and whirled around to face the rocking chair in the corner, not seeing but knowing Edward was seated in it like he usually was. Placing a hand over her heart she said, "Edward, you scared me!"

Edward stood up and moved towards the brunette, wrapping his arms around her and held her close. He ignored the way she flinched in his arms before lifting her arms to return his hug, but he could not ignore the rank stench that was permeating her skin. Frowning he mumbled, "You smell like wet dog."

"That's not very nice, Edward," Bella said clearly offended as she quickly pulled away from him. "And I haven't been around any dogs today, so I have no idea where you even got that notion from."

Oh, if only she knew. Giving her an apologetic smile that she couldn't see Edward replied, "I'm sorry love, I didn't mean to offend. I just meant that you have obviously been around something that gave off that scent and now it is on you. I hope you can forgive me if it sounded as if I was talking about you."

Bella frowned before nodding slowly, not sure if she believed him or not. She decided to let it go and move back to her bed and reached into the bag. Feeling around she pulled out the folder of Braille notes and said, "So my friend Jacob introduced me to an amazing woman on the Reservation today. Her name is Ms. Opal and she is such a gem."

"Oh?"

"Yes, and get this: she's blind too. And she was kind enough to offer to give me lessons in Braille. We even went over the alphabet and she's given me her personal notes and stuff to study. She's even let me borrow a few books, and she says that once I get the hang of those, she'll teach me how to read written words. Isn't that great?"

Edward frowned at hearing that bit of news. Bella was already getting lessons in Braille? But he was going to be the one to teach her this summer; he just knew she'd appreciate his help. Yet somehow that dog Jacob Black beat him and introduced his love to someone else that could not only read Braille, but was blind at that. That dog was getting in his way. However he knew Jacob couldn't do anything about the other piece of news he planned to give Bella, and he knew she'd thank him greatly for doing this for her.

Putting on a smile to hide his irritation Edward said, "That is good news, and I have some more good news that I know you'd like to here."

Bella turned to his location and said, "Oh really?"

"Yes, really. You see, I've spoken to your teachers and the principal about your current situation and were able to get them to agree to let you take your finals at home. A proctor will come and test you, recording your answers on a tape recorder and turn them in to your teachers. I'm sure you are happy with the arrangement I've made for you."

"You…what?"

"I've made arrangements for you to-"

"I heard what you said, Edward." Irritation was clear in Bella's voice, an emotion Edward was ignoring at the moment.

"Then why would you ask me what I did again?"

"Why would you make plans for me without my consent?"

Edward was a bit taken aback by the brunette's words. Looking at her face he could tell she was angry, something she had never been with him before. Why was she angry? He had thought she would have appreciated his gesture. He was only looking out for her wellbeing after all. Deciding to voice this he said, "Love, I did it for you. I know it's hard for you to get around blind now and haven't had time to study. So I took it upon myself to tutor you so you'll be ready for finals in three weeks. I thought you would have been happy about this."

Bella looked at Edward, or assumed she was looking at his face anyway, in disbelief. Suddenly feeling a headache coming on she pressed her fingers against her forehead and said, "Edward, I could have done that myself. I did not need, nor want you to do that for me. And I don't need you to tutor me in all my subjects; I have a pretty good memory of everything we've learned in time for finals. And if I need help, I'll ask for it rather than you just offer. If I mess up, it's because I didn't recall the information properly. Not everyone is inclined to remember facts and digits down to the very last decimal point like you can. But hear me clearly when I say this. I am finally comfortable enough to move around on my own and I don't need you hovering over me like you keep trying to do. And next time, don't make decisions for my life without consulting me. Better yet, don't make any decisions at all; let me do it. Any good boyfriend would do that."

"Are you stating that I'm not a good boyfriend? I love you Bella and I would never try to control what you do."

"Then what do you call making decisions for me taking my finals at home without me knowing? You even made plans to teach me Braille without asking me if I wanted to learn it."

"It's a necessity for blind people, and you obviously do since you are taking lessons with this Opal character."

"Because she gets it! She understands what I'm going through! You don't and you never will! I'm becoming independent without the use of my sight and I don't need you ruining it for me! You know what? Just leave, just get out. I need space, like right now."

Edward stepped up to the brunette, placing his hands on her shoulders only for her to almost viciously shrug him off. Blinking in confusion he began, "Bella, I-"

"I said to leave, Edward. I want space and you need to give it to me. In fact, don't come into my room at night for the rest of the week."

The vampire felt very put out by Bella's mood swing. He couldn't understand why making the decision to make sure she was able to take her exams led her to believing he was trying to control her life. A thought crossed his mind and he decided it boiled all the way down to Jacob Black. She spent time with him today and he had to have gotten into her head somehow. He almost growled but decided to not let the sound be heard by his love, especially since her sense of hearing was becoming sharper as she relied on it more. Nodding he said, "Of course, I will give you space and time to come to terms with what I have done for you. I will see you later, my love."

Bella's eye twitch and she felt a grimace cross her face as her boyfriend kissed her cheek before quickly departing. The moment he was gone she let out a frustrated huff and kicked her foot against the bottom of her bed. However she used her booted foot and she let out a hiss of pain before cursing loudly. Sliding down to the floor and cradled her booted foot and leant her head against her raised knee. Gosh, she had never been so upset with Edward before. What was he thinking?

Not wanting to waste any more energy on Edward or even thinking about him, she sighed and stood back up, slowly moving sit on her bed. Grabbing the bag of Braille notes from Ms. Opal she reached inside it looking for the folder, only to remember it was resting on the bed. Grabbing it she opened it and felt along the top page, pleased to find it was the alphabet. Taking it out she got comfortable on her bed and began to once again go over the twenty-six letters in Braille once again. When she was confident she understood every single letter and what it felt like, she got the next sheet from the folder and ran her fingers over it, realizing she was probably feeling single words. Feeling along the page she began to piece the feeling of the words together.

"A…N…T…ant," Bella spelled and said out loud. She move on to the next word and spelled out, "B…A…L…L…ball."

A giggle rose from Bella's throat as she went through the sheet. It was like something for a child and it made her feel like one again, only she was enjoying it. She understood Ms. Opal giving her these easy singular words to start off with. It was so she'd be comfortable and able to string words together when she was finally able to read sentences. She was so caught up into her personal studies that she was surprised when Charlie's voice suddenly spoke out in the quiet room.

"Kiddo? What are you doing sitting in the dark?" Charlie asked her as he turned on her top light.

Bella looked up at him before smiling and saying, "I'm always sitting in the dark."

Charlie stared at his daughter for a moment before an amused chuckle rose up from his chest, which soon turned to full on laughter. Bella laughed with her father when it was apparent he understood her joke, glad she was able to make him laugh. When they finally calmed down Charlie moved to sit next to her and said, "Oh that was a good one, kiddo. But seriously, what are you doing?"

"I'm learning Braille. Jake introduced me to someone blind on the Reservation today and she is helping me learn to read in Braille. She's so nice dad, and I'm happy Jake introduced me to her."

"That was nice of him. Jake's a good kid and he really knows how to take care of you when I'm not around. He really does care about you, Bella."

A warm smile appeared on Bella's lips as she thought of Jacob before replying, "Yeah, I know. I'm happy to have him in my life. I feel like he gets me, you know. It's just like…like we fit somehow."

Charlie smiled and ruffled Bella's hair, chuckling when she playfully batted his hand away. Standing up he said, "I brought takeout if you're hungry."

"Okay, thanks." Charlie nodded and left her room, leaving her to her notes and thoughts of Jacob. Bella didn't know it, but he could tell she was already developing feelings for Billy's boy more than she already had. He hoped she realized it soon though, because the sooner she did the sooner Edward Cullen would be out of their lives. Just thinking of the skinny twerp made him want to take his rifle and shove it up his ass and fire it. It was his fault his little girl was blind anyway, but he'd leave dealing with him to Bella.


	5. Chapter 5

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 5

Charlie pulled up in front of Forks High School and parked his police cruiser before turning off the engine. He turned to his daughter who was sitting in the passenger seat, her white stick held tightly in her hand. Bella had wanted to come to the school to talk with her teachers and principal. Apparently her boyfriend had, without her knowing, scheduled for her to have her finals at home. He could tell she was pissed behind it, and so was he. He knew that good for nothing boy had done something regarding her without her knowledge. He was always trying to control some, if not every, aspect of her life ever since they got together. He hoped that would change soon, especially with Jacob in the picture now.

"Are you ready, kiddo?" Charlie asked her.

Bella nodded and replied, "Yeah, I'm ready. It's lunch time I think, so my teachers should be free for the most part."

Charlie nodded and got out of the police cruiser, moving to the passenger side to help Bella out as well. Once she was standing she extended her white stick and held it out in front of her so it could roll back and forth across the ground as she and her father walked up to the school. He helped her up the small flight of stairs before they entered the building. Upon entering Bella found that the building held the scent of old papers and books, and she could hear the chatter of her peers coming from the direction of the cafeteria. The two of them made their way down the hall to one of Bella's classes, Bella leading the way by memory as Charlie followed close behind. Before long they entered her Biology class and were greeted by her overenthusiastic teacher.

"Bella! So good to see you again," he greeted, standing to shake Bella's hand, his eyes practically sparkling as he did so. He then turned to Charlie who was regarding him with a hard expression on his face, causing him to swallow nervously. "Chief Swan, it's a pleasure seeing you as well."

"Sure, if we were here under better circumstances," Charlie replied before lightly tapping his daughter on her shoulder to let her speak.

Bella nodded and said, "Mr. Banner, it has come to my attention that Edward has convinced you and the rest of my teachers, even the principle, to have me take my final exams at home."

Mr. Banner nodded and said, "Yes, he said that it was what you wanted and was what was best for you considering your position."

Ignoring her father's curse under his breath Bella continued. "I said no such thing. I was planning on coming back to take my exams here like everyone else. I don't want special treatment just because I'm blind now. I want to take my exams here and am going to. And the fact that you all agreed with him while he did this behind my back doesn't sit well with me."

Mr. Banner had never seen such fierce determination and underlying anger from his student before, especially in concerns to the Cullen boy. And seeing how ticked Bella was—while keeping it in check—made him realize he was easily influenced by Edward Cullen somehow to agree with what he had said. Realizing his assumed mistake, he asked Bella to tell him the rest of her teachers' names and to meet them in the principal's office. They would all talk to the principal to see if they could undo Edward's planning.

* * *

Half an hour later Bella and Charlie were leaving the principal's office with smiles on their faces. They had been able to negotiate with the principal and the teachers for Bella to take her exams at the school, while having tutoring sessions at home with one of their tutors leading up to exam week. Also, they were told Edward would be reprimanded for orchestrating the entire thing without Bella's knowledge and consent. The two Swans bid Bella's teachers 'goodbye' and were about to leave when the call of Bella's name stopped them.

Turning Bella smiled and greeted, "Hi Angela."

Angela walked up to Bella with a smile and hugged her saying, "It's so good to see you again. I missed you at prom. I've been meaning to stop by since I heard about what happened; I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. Being blind isn't the end of the world and I'm actually beginning to embrace it. I'm even learning to read in Braille."

"That's awesome! There are some really good books in the public library written in Braille. I mean, they have a copy written in print next to them, so I know what they're about and they're really good."

Bella giggled and nodded replying, "I'll be sure to give them a look. But yeah, let's definitely hang out some time."

She and Angela hugged once more before Angela left to hurry to class and Bella left the school with Charlie and got back into the police cruiser to go home. Along the way Charlie said, "I'm glad we got that sorted out, kiddo."

"Me too," Bella said.

"I still can't believe that boy would do that. He's controlling, I've been said that."

"I know dad, and trust me I'm beginning to see it."

"Do you want me to talk to him for you? Trust me, I have no qualms about doing so."

The brunette smiled a little and said, "No, it's okay. You don't have to do that. I already spoke to him yesterday on the phone about it before you got home. I definitely let him know how I felt about him doing that without my consent."

Charlie nodded though he still wanted to shoot a couple of bullets at the boy. But he'd let his little girl handle it if she believed she could. She was certainly starting to put her foot down in regards to him, so that was something. And he hoped it would eventually lead her to kicking him to the curb altogether.

Ten minutes later Charlie pulled the cruiser into the driveway of their home and saw Billy's truck in it. And on the porch were Billy and Jacob waiting for them. Smiling he said, "Billy and Jake are here."

The smile that appeared on Bella's face was the brightest one he had ever seen grace her features. Before he could stop her she was unbuckling herself and throwing open the cruiser door, white stick held in hand and she hobbled out on her booted foot. He watched amused as she made her way towards the father and son, Jacob moving to meet her halfway. He watched them hug, Jacob lifting his daughter off of the ground and took in their happy expressions. His gaze shifted to Billy who was also staring at the two teenagers with an amused look. Getting out of his car Charlie walked up to Billy after greeting Jacob and said, "Let's head inside, old man."

When the two adults had gone inside Bella looked up at Jacob after being put down and said, "I'm so happy to see you."

"Me too, Bells," Jacob replied with a sweet smile. "Where've you been?"

Bella sighed and filled Jacob in on what Edward had done and how she had gone to the school to fix things. As she spoke Jacob couldn't help but feel absolute loathing for the leech. Who did he think he was to just make decisions for Bella? He was such a pompous ass and quite obviously believed he could make anyone do his bidding. But he was glad Bella took it upon herself to undo what the leech did. And from the sounds of it, she was still pissed at him, which he thought was great.

Thinking of Bella with the leech made him think about what he had been considering for a while now. Bella was dating a vampire, meaning she had to know he was one and had no doubt she did. What she didn't know was that he was a spirit wolf and could turn into a bear sized wolf at will. She also didn't know that her boyfriend was his supernatural sworn enemy. And she also didn't know about the treaty that was still in place and what it would entail if they bit or turned a human into a vampire. He wanted to tell her the truth about what he was, but his father and the Elders told him he couldn't and that it didn't matter if Bella already knew about vampires considering her association with the Cullens. Even so, he felt she had the right to know.

Jacob opened his mouth to begin speaking when Bella suddenly gasped. He looked down at her and saw her looking at him in what seemed to be awe, her chocolate brown eyes looking over his face as if she could really see him. In confusion he said, "Bella?"

Bella stared up at Jacob, her hands reaching up to touch his face. Surrounding Jacob, at least to her anyway, was a bright, warm golden glow. It emanated from him in waves and made her feel safe and protected, as well as calm and serene. She felt as if she had always felt this around Jacob, but now it was hitting her tenfold. This…this had to be what Ms. Opal meant when she said she could sense Jacob's aura. His aura was so warm and welcoming and just so bright. It was like she could see his entire outline and she felt like she could almost see his face. He was…he was…

"Beautiful," Bella whispered in awe as she held his face in her hands, her thumbs gently stroking his cheekbones.

Jacob's entire face heated up in a bright blush as he allowed Bella to hold his face. He hadn't the slightest clue what she was doing or why, but he wasn't going to stop her. And if she found him beautiful, well…he didn't think he'd be able to stop smiling for days, even weeks behind that. Smiling softly at her he gently took her hands from his face and held them in his larger ones before saying, "I think you're beautiful, too."

Bella's blush was just as bright as Jacob's, causing her to duck her head in embarrassment. Jacob chuckled softly before leading her towards her house, the two of them intent on spending time together in her room while their parents were downstairs. And the whole time Bella basked in Jacob's aura, finding that she never wanted to leave it.

* * *

Alice frowned as she tried to concentrate on Bella, but she just couldn't see her. She had seen her at school earlier that day with her dad and tried to keep tabs on her, per Edward's request, but could suddenly no longer see her the moment she and her father pulled up to their home. It was so strange, why couldn't she see Bella anymore? Her confusion must have been palpable, because soon a wave of calmness washed over her and she turned to give her mate a sweet smile. Jasper smiled at her too before turning back to the school, waiting for Edward to come out.

Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett had all been waiting for Edward to come out of the school, seeing as he had been called into the principal's office when the final bell rung. They figured it wouldn't take no more than five, ten minutes at the most. But they had been waiting for almost thirty minutes and still no sign of Edward. Another five minutes went by before Rosalie huffed and said, "Screw it, I'm leaving."

"Rosalie, we have to wait for Edward," Alice said.

"No, we don't. The golden boy has got his own car; he drove here, he can drive home. Let's go, Emmett."

Rosalie and Emmett got into Rosalie's red convertible, the blonde vampire quickly peeling out of the parking lot and into the street to head to their house. Alice frowned after them, Jasper having an indifferent expression on his face while also thinking he would rather just leave. It wasn't long after Rosalie and Emmett's departure did Edward finally emerged from the school, a frown on his marble face.

Alice walked over to her favorite brother and asked, "Edward, what's wrong?"

Edward didn't answer at first, but then looked at his sister and said, "I was told that my plans for Bella to take her exams at home have been revoked and that if I ever attempted to manipulate her or them again without her consent, I would be suspended."

"Suspended? Bella would allow you to be suspended?" Alice couldn't believe the brunette would do that. She loved Edward, so why would she go against him and undo his work when he was clearly looking out for her. "I thought she would have appreciated what you did?"

"Well, she didn't and has brought it to the attention of her teachers and the principal. And they're calling Carlisle to inform him as well."

Edward's troubled expression didn't leave his face as he walked over to his silver Volvo, his thoughts filled with what he did that was so wrong and why Bella didn't appreciate his concern.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I apologize for this chapter being so late. The semester is wrapping up and I'm up to my ears in deadlines. But I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for more. Love, SehunsBae37.**


	6. Chapter 6

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 6

For the entire week Bella spent time with Jacob, Billy, and her father, as well as Angela when time permitted the girl. She felt it better to distance herself from the Cullens, especially Edward after what the vampire had pulled. Not to mention she was getting constant calls from both him and Alice about her visit to the school and Edward getting in trouble with the principal and by some extension Carlisle. Carlisle had even stopped by not long after Charlie had gotten home the day after to apologize on his son's behalf, to which Charlie and Bella both accepted, though Charlie said it'd be better coming from Edward, unless he found himself too proud to do so. Either way, Bella was done with it and would be taking her finals within two weeks up at the school with everyone else, something she was actually happy to do.

Currently Bella practicing her reading of Braille before Jacob came to pick her up to take her to see Ms. Opal again. She was in the middle of a paragraph when there was a knock on the front door. Standing up from the couch she made her way to the door and called out, "Who is it?"

"It's Angela, Bella," Angela's voice called out.

Smiling Bella opened the door and allowed Angela inside saying, "Hey, it's good to see you. Well, you know what I mean."

Angela chuckled and nodded saying, "Yeah, I get it. Anyway, I just decided to stop by because I wanted to know if you wanted to study this weekend and leading up until finals."

"Oh yeah, that'd be great. But it might just seem like I'm just sitting there with you. Unless we can try to make Braille notes out of yours."

"I think it might be possible if you know anybody, or I can find somebody before the weekend. Oh yeah, how is your Braille practice going?"

Bella led Angela into the living room to where she had been previously and answered, "It's going great! I think I'm picking it up faster than I thought I would. I'm actually waiting for Jacob to come and take me to the Reservation so I can visit Ms. Opal again. She's the blind woman I told you about that gave me the notes in Braille."

Nodding Angela replied, "Yeah, I remember. She sounds like a very lovely woman; I'd love to meet her."

"Maybe Jacob will let you come."

Angela smiled at Bella and said, "You know, I've been meaning to say this—and no disrespect to your relationship with Edward—but it seems to me that Jacob is someone very special to you. I'd really like to meet him as well."

Smiling Bella replied, "He is special to me. He's my best friend and I just know I can depend on him for anything, no matter what. And he's been such a help to me ever since I became blind. He gave me my confidence back, he listens to me, he doesn't try to push me into anything that I don't want to do and…and he just gets me, which is more than I can say for my own boyfriend. Jacob is just...amazing."

The bespectacled girl couldn't help but smile at the brunette. Bella didn't even realize how she sounded when she spoke about this Jacob. She sounded so smitten and she had a bit of a blush on her face. It was official, she couldn't wait to meet Jacob when he arrived. And the time came quicker than she expected when there was another knock on the door, followed by it opening and a deep voice calling out, "Bells?"

"In here, Jake!" Bella called back.

The moment Jacob stepped into the living room, Angela's eyes widened and she couldn't help but say, "Oh!"

Jacob was…exquisite. He had height, muscle, a handsome face, and a beautiful smile. And Bella called him her best friend? She might as well throw that title away and say he's her man, because that is exactly what this boy was: a man. _And_ he was _sixteen_? Angela didn't like to think it, but if Bella didn't drop Edward for Jacob and soon, she had to be crazy.

Jacob looked at Angela and smiled before holding out his hand and saying, "Hi, you must be Angela, Bella's friend."

"Yes, and you must be Jacob," Angela responded with a smile and shaking his hand. "Bella's told me a lot about you."

"Only good things, I hope."

"She has nothing to say about you but good things. But she didn't tell me you had looks to go with your wonderful personality."

Bella flushed and said, "Okay, that's enough. Anyway Jake, Angela wants to know if it'll be alright to go with us to La Push. She wants to meet Ms. Opal, too."

Jacob nodded and said, "Yeah, it'll be fine. Besides, she told me she's making tea and cookies and stuff and my friends Embry and Quil be there. You can finally meet them, as well." Looking at Angela he said, "You'll have fun, I promise. Besides, Ms. Opal loves new company."

Angela smiled and said, "Great."

* * *

Ms. Opal opened her front door and smiled seeing two familiar auras, one gold and the other with a grey aura that seemed to be turning a pale yellow. However there was also a new one that was pink, making her smile and say, "Bella, Jacob, I see you brought a friend."

Jacob nodded and said, "Yes, this is Bella's friend Angela. Angela, this is Ms. Opal."

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," Angela said in greeting.

"You too, Angela. Come inside, you three. Embry and Quil are already here and trying to eat all of my cookies."

The three of them stepped inside, Bella a little slower as she was using her white stick, before making her way to an empty armchair. Sitting down she looked around and took notice of Jacob's warm golden aura, Angela's pink one, and she had seen Ms. Opal's blue one the moment she opened the door. However she took notice of the two new ones in the room, one being green and the other orange. Looking towards the green one she said, "Hi, you must be Jacob's friend."

"Yeah, my name is Embry," Embry replied. "You're Bella, Jake's girlfriend."

"Embry, I've told you time and again, she's not my girlfriend. I specifically said she's a girl and she's my friend," Jacob said, sounding embarrassed and causing Bella to smile. "Besides, she already has a boyfriend. An undeserving one, but a boyfriend nonetheless."

"Whatever man, it's obvious you'd like to be her boyfriend," the orange aura which had to be Quil said. "Anyway, it's nice to finally meet you Bella."

Bella laughed softly and said, "You too."

Ms. Opal moved to sit down and asked, "So Bella, were those notes helpful?"

"Definitely, and I've brought them back because I'm done with them."

"I knew you would be. And did you still want to discuss auras?"

"Yes please."

"I thought so. Follow me into the kitchen and we'll talk there. Jacob, do you think you can keep Quil in check?"

Jacob chuckled and said, "Yeah, I'll give him a good smack in the head if I need to."

"Hey!" Quil exclaimed.

Embry rolled his eyes with a smile before looking over at Angela that was nibbling on a cookie, her eyes shifting towards him every now and then with a light blush on her cheeks. He smiled at her as well before looking down into his teacup, ignoring Jacob's knowing smile.

* * *

In the kitchen Bella and Ms. Opal sat down at the table and Ms. Opal said, "So last time you asked me about them and how to sense them and pinpoint them to one person. However I think you're already beginning to understand in a way."

Bella nodded and replied, "Yes, I think I'm getting it. The first time I experienced it, I was talking to Jake. It was like he suddenly started glowing and it was so warm and golden. I just knew it had to be him, even though I was already talking to him. Does that make sense?"

"Of course it does. Believe it or not, I sense Jacob's aura in being that color as well, so I'm not surprised you do as well. Jacob is a special one, so his being gold seems to be expected. But tell me, how do you see my own aura or even your friend Angela's?"

"Angela's is pink and I put this to her loving and sweet nature. Yours is blue, at least that's how I see it."

"I see. And what do you think that tells you about me?"

Bella thought for a moment before answering, "I believe it tells me that you are intuitive, helpful, calm…um…"

Ms. Opal smiled and nodded saying, "Yes, I am those things and lets you know that you can lean on me for support if ever you need to. I know being blind can be scary at times, but I am here for you, Bella. But I know, as does everyone else, that you'll get stronger and more confidence in your blindness, just so long as you don't let anyone try to make decisions for you and make you dependent on them. People like that claim to care about you, but they really try to hold you back because they can't seem to stand that you can make it on your own without their help. But that's why I'm happy you and Jacob are friends, because Jacob helps and encourages people to move forward and do their best. And I know you'll always be in good hands when he's around."

The brunette smiled a little as she took in what the older woman said, though it fell slightly as she thought about it. She had said a whole lot of things that sounded like Edward and it didn't sit well with her. Not in the way that she was offended by what Ms. Opal had said, but that it was the fact she was right and that it related to Edward. She had to admit, ever since she got involved with him she had been rather dependent on him and allowed him to make decisions for her. And each and every time he told her it was because he loved her and it was for her own good and safety. If she thought about it, she allowed him to because she thought it good to finally have someone to be dependent on rather than herself, and be taken care of rather than being the one to take care of another. And no guy had ever taken an interest in her the way Edward had, that it just made her feel special. But now…now it seemed as if the mysterious and enchanting wonder that Edward seemed to be was wearing off to her. Now he just didn't seem so special, but rather ordinary, something she thought impossible for a vampire since knowing him, the Cullens, and learning about them.

The blind woman could tell Bella was thinking hard about something and reached across the table, gently taking her hand after feeling for it and gave her a reassuring squeeze. Smiling softly she said, "I don't know what is going on in your life and you don't have to tell me, but just know that everything will be alright in the end."

Bella smiled and squeezed her hand in return before softly saying, "Thanks, Ms. Opal."

* * *

Later that night Bella lay in bed on her side, trying to go to sleep but not really sure if she was going to. Her mind was just whirling with thoughts from her earlier talk with Ms. Opal. Ms. Opal made her think a lot about her relationship with Edward and made her see it for what it was. And it wasn't all that she thought it was. In fact, she wasn't even in love with him like she thought. She realized that she just had some sort of unhealthy infatuation with him that she had mistaken for love, and the reason she had mistaken her feelings for love was because she had never really seen or understood romantic love from the people that were to be her examples to follow: her parents.

Her mother had up and left her father when she was just a baby and had hopped place to place, dragging her along and barely letting her visit Charlie. She had man after man that she claimed was the one only to have her heart broken each time. She had told herself she'd never be like Renee in the ways of love and based her perfect idea of it from the romantic story books she loved to read. The love in those books was always so perfect with the perfect man. And when she had met Edward, it was like one of her books come to life for her and they were to have the perfect romance and be in true love. But now that she thought about it and looked back on everything, it was nothing like that. In fact, their relationship wasn't good and it started off completely creepy. Edward had watched her in her room while she slept and basically stalked her everywhere, even in public while making it seem like a coincidence that he bumped into her. His mood swings had been crazy as well; she distinctly recalled telling him they were giving her whiplash. All in all, their romance or supposed romance was far from perfect and it seemed like everyone that mattered to her knew it but her. However he was her first boyfriend so she saw nothing wrong with it at the time, not like she did now.

She heard the window open and shut within a second of it happening and she knew it was Edward. A cold hand caressed her face and caused her to flinch away from the touch. Sitting up Bella looked ahead to where she assumed Edward was and said, "Edward."

"Bella, my love. I'm so glad to finally see you after a week of being kept away," Edward said. "I wasn't sure if you were asleep or not, but I couldn't stay away anymore. I needed to be close to you again. You know how much I love you."

"I'm sure you do." Bella took a deep breath before speaking again. "Edward, we need to talk."

"About what happened up at the school? Don't worry about it love, I forgive you. I don't blame you for what you did. I was out of line, though I was only doing it for your wellbeing. It's not particularly safe for blind people to move around, especially with a broken leg like you have."

Bella scowled and replied, "That wasn't what I was going to say, and I'm taking all sorts of offense to that."

Edward had the decency to look sheepish before saying, "I apologize, Bella."

"Anyway, what I wanted to talk to you about was…well, us."

A frown appeared on Edward's marble face. "What about us?"

"I just don't think we're working anymore, Edward. You and I…it's just not what it once was. I think I blinded myself to the fact that we don't belong together because you can't read my mind and fight your bloodlust for me. You made me feel special in a way I've never felt before it and I didn't want to let go of that."

"You are special, Bella. And I love you; we belong together."

Shaking her head she said, "No Edward, we don't. We don't fit together and…and I don't belong in your world. I should have never gotten involved and stayed away like you tried to tell me. I'm sorry Edward, but I'm breaking up with you."

"Bella, I love you." She could hear the desperation in his voice as he took her hands in his at the realization that she was serious and about to lose her.

"But I don't love you, Edward; I'm sorry. I'll always care for you, but I can't be with you anymore."

Edward was completely taken aback and felt as if his head had been ripped from his shoulders. He couldn't believe it what he was hearing. Bella was breaking up with him. She couldn't break up with him, she just couldn't! He waited nearly one hundred years for her; she couldn't just leave him! She…she…

A sudden thought came to him. This had to be that dog's doing. He filled her head with some lies and made her think she wanted to break up with him. Jacob Black was trying to interfere with their relationship and move in on Bella, and he was not going to have it. A menacing growl escaped his lips and his hold on Bella's tightened, causing her to whimper and attempt to pull her hands away. Realizing he was hurting her he let go of her hands and quickly moved to her window to leave. Before he did he turned to look at her saying, "I'm not letting you go, Bella. You're mine and always will be, and no one else can have you."

Bella gasped as the vampire left, for the first time actually feeling scared of Edward and what he might do. When Edward had been present, he had had this cloudy mist around him, as if it was trying to determine an aura that would surround the vampire. However the mist soon turned into an aura to surround Edward and the color didn't settle well with Bella, for the color had been black. She knew black auras didn't necessarily mean evil or bad things as Ms. Opal had told her when she questioned her about earlier, but for some reason she felt as if this black aura surrounding Edward wasn't beyond evil. She hadn't felt safe in that moment and the vampire's parting words sent an unpleasant chill down her spine.

Knowing she wasn't going to go to sleep behind this, she got up and moved around her room as quietly as possible while limping, as she didn't have her boot on. She grabbed a pair of sweatpants from her drawer and put them on over her cotton shorts and a sweatshirt over her t-shirt. She put her tennis shoes on, forgoing her boot and grabbed her white stick, quietly making her way out into the hallway. She could hear Charlie snoring from his room and quietly moved towards the staircase and headed downstairs. When she reached the landing she made her way to the kitchen and towards the house phone. Running her thumb over the numbers she felt the Braille numbers on them and punched in the Black residence phone number from memory, putting the device to her ear. She waited as it rung in her ear before a deep voice finally answered, _"Hello?"_

"Billy, hi," Bella said. "Um, I'm calling because I was wondering if Jake is available."

 _"_ _Yes, he just got in from his patrolling shift."_

"Patrolling shift?"

 _"_ _Um, yes. It's his job on the Reservation for the…visitors that camp around here and stuff."_

Bella nodded—not like the man could see her doing it—and replied, "Oh okay. Well, I was hoping I could talk to him."

Billy told her she could and told her to wait a moment, calling for his son to come and get the telephone from him. A minute passed before Jacob finally spoke into the phone, _"Hey Bells."_

"Jake, I know you just got home and I'm sorry to call you so late, but I was hoping you could come and get me. I…I broke up with Edward tonight and his parting words didn't make me feel good. I…I was hoping I could spend the night with you, please. If it's alright with you and Billy, of course."

 _"_ _Of course Bella, I'll be there as soon as I can. Just be waiting on the porch for me in fifteen minutes, okay?"_

"Thank you, Jake. I'll see you when you get here. Bye."

 _"_ _Bye Bells."_

Bella hung up the phone and let out a sigh before moving around the kitchen and grabbing a pen and paper. She wrote a quick note to Charlie to let him know where she was before heading outside to wait on the porch for Jacob, being careful to quietly open and shut the door, using her house key to lock the door. She waited for what felt like forever and had the horrible feeling she was being watched. Just as she thinking she wanted Jacob to hurry, she heard the rumble of an engine and knew it was him. She heard a door open and shut and soon she was enveloped in a warm embrace.

Hugging him back she said, "Oh Jake, thank you for coming to get me."

Jacob held the brunette close before asking, "Are you alright, Bella? What did he say?"

"I'll tell you later, but I just don't want to be alone right now."

Jacob didn't know what the leech had said to Bella to make her feel scared like this, but he wasn't going to let him do anything to her, not if he could help it. Letting her go he lead her to Billy's truck that he had borrowed and helped her inside before getting in himself and heading back towards La Push. As he drove, his nose caught the sickly sweet stench of a vampire and he looked out of the window briefly and saw a quick flash of red. His eyes narrowed at the red, knowing it was the red haired leech he had been trailing for a while. He needed to deal with her soon so he could deal with Cullen. But he had to admit, he was glad Bella's eyes had finally opened to seeing the vampire she had called a boyfriend for what he really was and broke up with him. However he knew the ride was only beginning and needed to be on his toes.


	7. Chapter 7

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 7

Jacob watched Bella as she slept peacefully in his bed, bundled up comfortably in his covers. He was kneeling next to her and gently stroking her hair, taking in her rested features as she slept. As he did his mind raced with the words Bella had told him about her latest visit from the bloodsucker. Apparently the leech hadn't taken Bella breaking up with him well and had thus made it clear to her that she was going to be his, no matter what. His words had frightened the brunette and were what prompted her to call him and ask to go get her from her home. Before she fell asleep however, Bella seemed to stare up at him, as if she could actually see him and had mumbled that he was beautiful before falling asleep. He still didn't know what she meant by that, but he'd take it nonetheless.

Sighing softly he stood up and walked out of his bedroom, closing the door silently behind him to not rouse Bella and walked to the living room where Billy was waiting. As he entered the living room Billy asked, "Is she asleep?"

"Yes," Jacob answered before sitting down on the couch. Leaning his head back on the couch he said, "The bloodsucker scared her after she broke up with him."

"She broke up with him?" Billy's voice sounded surprised.

Jacob frowned and looked at his father before asking, "Why is that surprising? He's a controlling asshole; it was bound to happen eventually."

Shaking his head Billy said, "No, it wouldn't have. When vampires dazzle their prey—or significant other in Bella and Edward Cullen's case—the human that is dazzled will have no reason to break off their relationship, truly believing they are in love with their vampire. They use their ability to dazzle to keep them close and give them no reason to fear them. For Bella to not only break up with him, but suddenly fear him as well, I find it strange."

Pondering what Billy said, Jacob weighed the statement in his mind, wondering himself how Bella suddenly wanted nothing to do with Cullen, or at least distance herself to no longer want to be with him romantically anymore. It was true that vampires dazzled their victims by use of their face, voice, smell. They used the victim's senses against them—mainly their sight—to draw them in, the victim not knowing the true creature the vampire was until it was too late. Not only that, but use their specials gifts to draw them in and peak their interests to keep drawing them back to them. And Edward had definitely peaked Bella's interest in him by practically revealing himself to her, while also trying to buff her off according to Bella. He spent more than enough time around her and talking to her, peaking her interest in him and taking her attention from whatever it was that she was doing until she was completely focused on him. Bella stated she intrigued him because her blood called to him as she was his Singer, but also because he couldn't read her mind like everyone else around him. Even if that was true, why would he put in the effort to be around her? Unless he was trying to break her defenses down so she would not only trust him, but want to be around him to the point where she believed she loved him, even though it was clear to him that she was at the very least infatuated with and by him. And as his Singer, Bella could very well be dead right now, unless he was just toying with her like a pet.

Jacob thought more on his father's words, and he couldn't help but go back to the dazzling that vampires do. Bella had been dazzled by Cullen, he had no doubt about that. But what caused it to wear off? What caused her to wake up, so to speak? Suddenly he sat up, realizing what had happened for Bella to stop being dazzled by Cullen. Looking at Billy he said, "She's blind."

"What?" Billy asked confused.

"She's blind. Bella is blind now and that's why she can't be dazzled by the leech anymore. You told me yourself when I first phased that vampire dazzle their prey by using their senses against them, though they mostly rely on human's eyesight to take in their otherworldly beauty and intrigue them. And I'm positive that Bella became interested in him and his family from just looking at them and she, like everyone else, was floored by their vampire beauty. However because Cullen stayed around her so long, he was able to not only dazzle her like that, but make sure she was able to listen to his voice, be close enough for her to smell him, and cause her to touch him. And because they dated they've…kissed." He shuddered at the thought of Bella kissing his supernatural enemy. "I'm sure she found herself intoxicated with his taste. But then she ended up in the hospital with injuries that was said to have happened after falling out of a window, though we've already figured the Cullens were behind it, considering she had gone cross-country with them according to Charlie."

"Charlie only said that they were there at the hospital because Bella had a fight with Cullen before falling out of the window. I don't believe that, however and figured her hospitalization had to do with vampires. One obviously attacked her before Carlisle's family showed up," Billy stated with a contemplative look on his face. "We and Bella know the truth. And Charlie told us she woke up blind and as a result became reclusive. Remember how much glee he had in his voice when she even refused to have Cullen around her and was pushing him away?"

How could he forget? Charlie never looked happier talking about the stupid bloodsucker not being able to see his daughter because she would turn him away. Though he was sure it didn't stop him from sneaking into her room. Shaking that thought from his head Jacob continued saying, "I think because Bella can no longer see Cullen and has started cutting him out of her life, he can't dazzle her anymore. And now that he's tried again, he's too late because the dazzle he originally put on Bella has worn off, causing her to see him for the devil he truly is."

"You know son, that sounds so crazily plausible I actually believe. I'm proud of you for deducing that."

"So it doesn't sound like a crazy, spur of the moment idea?"

"No, it doesn't. I'm sure Bella doesn't realize it because I'm sure she doesn't believe herself to have been dazzled by him. But what matters now is that her eyes are open to him and she doesn't want him around her anymore and in turn is turning to and relying on you."

Jacob nodded before looking down saying, "But she doesn't know what I am, though. When she finds out-"

" _If_ she finds out." Billy gave his son a pointed look.

Rolling his eyes Jacob continued saying, "Fine. _If_ Bella finds out about what I am, what if she thinks of me as a monster? I don't want her to be afraid of me."

Billy rolled over to Jacob and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder before saying, "She won't son, and you know that. I've seen the way she looks at you and how much time she seems to prefer to spend with you. She even called you to go get her, obviously thinking she couldn't call anyone else because she trusts you. You mean the world to that girl back there, and I know you won't ever let her down."

Jacob smiled a bit and nodded before standing saying, "I'm going to check on Bella and stay with her for a while."

Nodding Billy said, "Alright then. Goodnight Jake."

"Goodnight."

Leaving the living room Jacob walked down the hall and quietly opened the door to his bedroom, silently entering it and closing the door behind him. He watched Bella continue to sleep for a while before moving over to the bed and carefully climbing onto it, laying himself behind Bella. He contemplated wrapping his arm around her and holding her close, but ultimately decided against it. Lying on his back he stared up at the ceiling, listening to the soft breathing of the beautiful brunette next to him. However he was pleasantly surprised when Bella turned over in her sleep and rested her head on his shoulder, snuggling closer to him seeking his warmth. She wrapped her arm around his middle and let out a contented sigh, all the while remaining asleep. Jacob stared down at her in shock before smiling and moving his arm around Bella, gently rubbing her back before soon falling asleep as well.

* * *

The next day Bella was sitting out on the porch of the Black house, enjoying the warmth of the morning though she knew the sun wasn't showing beyond the cloudy sky. Sighing contentedly she stretched her leg out, wincing a little at the pain that went through it. Her leg was close to being healed she was sure, but it still hurt and felt a bit numb. She continued to stretch it out and move her foot around to bring some feeling back into her leg, happy when she felt the tingling feeling in her leg until it faded and she could feel her leg again. With a smile she put her leg back down and hummed to herself, all the while thinking about Jacob.

She had been embarrassed when she had woken up and realized she was pressed against Jacob, but couldn't help but snuggle closer into his warmth while he continued to sleep. He had been extremely warm, almost like he was sick, but he seemed to be completely healthy. Not only that, but she actually enjoyed his warmth and wanted to bask in it for as long as she could. However she hadn't wanted to wake him and had quietly gotten out of his bed and quietly left his room, grabbing her white stick on the way out.

A faint noise caught her attention, pulling it towards the woods that stood not far off from the Black house. It had sounded like something had stepped on a twig. Was someone out in the woods? Standing up slowly she carefully stepped off of the porch and took a few steps forward, listening intently for another sound. Hearing the sound of faint rustling she called out, "Who's there?"

Receiving no answer Bella frowned and extended her white stick, placing the rolling wheel end on the ground and began walking towards the woods, using her stick as a guide to carefully make her way to the woods. After a while she tapped her white stick against a tree, letting her know she had hit the tree line of the woods. Stepping into the woods Bella stretched her free hand out to touch the trees in front of her and feel her way through. Pausing for a moment she called out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Silence met her call, only to be broken by the sound of rustling again. However this time Bella could hear deep breathing coming from her left. Turning her head she said, "Hello?"

Bella turned to her left and stretched her hand out, trying to follow the sound. It sounded like an animal and it was moving as if trying to avoid her, but obviously knew she was there and was watching her. Huffing in annoyance Bella bent down and felt along the forest floor, her fingers feeling the soft dirt and twigs and grass. Eventually her hand came across the rough feeling of a rock about the size of her palm. Picking it up she clamped it tightly in her hand and waited silently. Hearing nothing she took a step forward, this time hearing the movement of the animal. Without hesitation Bella threw the rock on the direction of the movement she was hearing, startled to hear a rather loud yelp as her rock collided with the animal.

"Oh my gosh," Bella gasped, believing she had hurt the creature. Stumbling a bit she rushed to try and get to the animal, only to run into a solid furry being. The creature was not only furry, but huge if she could run into it and her face could feel the fur. Feeling the fur with her hands, she found that the animal was soft. Thinking she was petting its side, she ran her right hand up a ways and began to feel what felt like the animal's neck. She walked along it until she reached the head; she was surprised the large animal was staying still and allowing her to do this. As she petted the animal's head, she realized that it had pointed ears, almost like a dog's and that its snout led to a wet nose.

This couldn't possibly be a dog, though a large dog was a…wolf. Gasping in shock Bella realized that she was petting an oversized wolf. Stepping back she said, "Oh my God…"

She continued to back up, especially when she heard the wolf beginning to follow her. She turned to run, but dropped her white stick. Dropping down she felt around for it, soon finding it and grabbing hold of it. She looked up only to feel the hot breath of the wolf on her face. Just when she was about to scream, a voice she was so happy to hear spoke.

"Bella, just stay still," Jacob said from behind her.

"Jake!" Bella breathed, turning towards him. "Jake, get away! It's a wolf! A huge wolf!"

Jacob looked down at Bella before looking up at grey wolf with its black spots. The wolf was looking at him with its ears pressed against his head, as if expecting to be scolded for being near the human girl. With a nod Jacob said, "It's alright, Embry. She was bound to find out soon enough."

Bella couldn't believe what Jacob had said. Jacob called the wolf 'Embry'. Like his friend Embry? Looking back to the wolf she noticed that she could see the aura surrounding the large creature, and the creature's aura was green, just like Embry's had been. In disbelief Bella asked, "That's Embry?"

Embry moved forward and gently nudged his head against Bella's shoulder before licking her face, letting her know that she was correct. Stepping back he phased back to his human form and pulled on his cutoff shorts before saying, "Sorry Jake, but she was following me and then threw a rock at my head."

"I'm so sorry!" Bella exclaimed as Jacob laughed.

Jacob helped her to stand up from the ground before saying, "He'll be alright, don't worry."

Bella looked up at Jacob and said, "You don't seem surprised at all. Can you turn into a bear sized wolf too?"

"Yes, I can."

"Jake, you're some sort of werewolf?"

"Not really, more like a spirit wolf. I'm a protector of my lands and defender against the Cold Ones."

"Cold Ones? You mean…"

"Vampires," Embry said. "Jake was the first one of us to phase, and because of that he's the Alpha of our small Pack."

Bella gawked and asked, "Pack? There are more of you?"

Jacob and Embry looked at each other before Jacob said, "Let's get back to my house and dad and I will explain everything. You know about vampires, so there's no reason why you can't know about us."

Gently taking Bella, Jacob picked her up bridal style and began to walk back to his home, Embry following behind him. The whole way there Bella stared up at Jacob, his golden aura shining as bright as it had the first time she saw it, if not a little brighter. This was her best friend, her Jacob with her now. Even if he was could turn into a giant wolf, he was still the same Jacob.

Smiling up at him she whispered, "You're so amazing."

A blush appeared on Jacob's face at the brunette's bold statement and he smiled before shaking his head, ignoring Embry snickering behind him. His heart had fluttered at her words and hoped that she would still think so when he turned into his wolf for her one day. But for now, they would talk with Billy and explain to Bella about the supernatural residing in La Push and not just Forks.


	8. Chapter 8

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 8

Bella listened intently to Billy's tale of the Quileute spirit wolves and how they protected their lands from the Cold Ones, how the Shifter gene is passed down through specific bloodlines and how some are worthy enough to be a wolf Shifter and protector of their lands. She was so fascinated by it all, finding it all very interesting. Now upon knowing this, she understood Jacob and his talk of "scary stories" when she had been trying to pry information out of him about the Cullen family and using that information to discover that they were the Cold Ones from his story. It made her feel bad that she had used him to find out about the Cullens, but what was done was done and now she had something, or rather someone—at least to her—better to focus on.

"So when you say that the Shifters protect against vampires, you mean they fight them?" Bella asked.

Billy nodded and said, "Essentially, yes. But they are designed to do much more than fight them."

Bella's eyes widened. "You mean…"

Embry looked at the blind girl and said, "We can kill vampires. It's easy for us to chase them and keep up, and our teeth and jaws are strong enough to break through their marble skin and tear them apart."

"So you could do this to the Cullens?"

"If we had to, we could," Jacob answered. "But as long as they keep to the treaty they made with the Pack before us and don't cross over onto our lands, then they won't give us a reason to attack them."

Billy frowned a bit and asked, "Does Bella know about the treaty?"

Jacob nodded and said, "Sort of. When she asked me about why the Cullens don't come to First Beach, I vaguely told her they weren't allowed to because of a treaty made with Ephraim. I didn't tell her the details because I didn't know the details at the time; all I really said was that they don't come."

Bella smiled and said, "This is all so fascinating! You guys can turn into giant, furry, soft wolves! Is it just you two? Are there more? What about Quil? Can he turn into one too? How many of you are there altogether? When did this happen? How-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down Bella," Billy told her, cutting off her barrage of questions with an amused smile. "We'll answer all of your questions in due time. But as for how many, there are six wolves right now."

"Six, wow. Do I know them?"

Embry smiled and said, "Well, you already know about Jake and me, so that's two. And yes, Quil is one so he makes three."

"The other three are Sam Uley, Paul Lahote, and Jared Cameron. They're just a little older than us, but not by much. Well, Sam is probably the same age as you actually."

"Oh," Bella said. She was silent for a moment before asking, "Can I meet them?"

Billy and Jacob shared a look before Billy said, "Jared may not be a problem, but let's not get too excited about Sam and Paul. They're good boys, but those two are a bit…"

"Sam's got a stick up his ass and Paul's just a complete asshole," Jacob said, a grimace on his face as he did so.

Bella turned her attention to Jacob's aura and frowned before saying, "Jake, that's not a very nice thing to say."

Embry laughed and said, "Trust me Bella, when you get the chance to meet them, you'll do nothing but agree."

Billy rolled his eyes before asking, "By the way, how did Bella find out about you two? You never did tell me how it happened."

Jacob snickered and answered, "Bella threw a rock at Embry."

"Yeah, she's got really good aim for being blind, and it hurt," Embry said, slightly rubbing the side of his head.

Bella flushed before looking at Embry's green aura saying, "Again, I'm _so_ sorry! The moment I knew I hit an animal I felt bad, but I just didn't expect to run into a bear sized wolf."

Another snicker filled the air, the sound coming from Billy as he tried to suppress his laughter at the thought of Bella hitting Embry with a rock. The thought was hilarious, especially knowing she actually hit him. Clearing his throat to calm himself he said, "Well, I'd better go talk to Old Quil and let him know a specific outsider knows about the Shifters now." At Bella's frown he said, "It's nothing personal, Bella. But it is common knowledge that you were in a relationship with Edward Cullen and it was easy to deduce you already knew what he and his family were. In truth because of your association with them, the Council may be upset about your knowledge of the Shifters now."

Frowning deeper Bella looked down into her lap and said, "Sorry."

Jake placed his hand on Bella's head and said, "It's alright, Bella. They'll get over it. Hey, how about we go into town and have breakfast at the diner?"

Smiling Bella looked up at Jacob and nodded saying, "I'd like that."

"Cool, I'll join you guys," Embry said.

"The hell you will," Jacob replied glaring at his friend. Embry held up his hands in a placating manner before shrugging, letting him know he wasn't serious.

Taking Bella's hand Jacob helped her to stand from her seat and moved them towards the front door, calling over his shoulder that they'd be back later. The moment they were out of the house Billy said, "Embry, take me to Old Quil's."

"Yes sir."

* * *

Sitting in a booth in the diner Jacob and Bella were laughing and talking while waiting for their food to arrive, each of them taking sips of their ordered drinks. Jacob smiled as Bella was telling him about some of the antics that her friend Jessica Stanley got into, if only to impress Mike Newton who she personally believed tried too hard to get girls. He couldn't help but take in how her face seemed to be alight and how she was actually invested in talking, rather than seeming to try to find something to talk about because she was reluctant to talk at all. Her browns eyes were so beautiful and were sparkling, and her sweet smile made his heart flutter all of the time, especially when it was directed toward him. Before long their food arrived and they began to eat, still talking and enjoying each other's company. At one point when conversation slowed, Bella decided to say something she felt needed to be said.

"Hey Jake," she started. "I just want to thank you again for coming to get me last night. I know it was probably out of your way, especially considering how late it was when I made the call, but thank you anyway."

"It was no problem, Bells," Jacob replied with a kind smile. "Besides, I'd come for you whenever you needed me to. Even if you didn't, I'd still come."

Bella blushed and nervously poked at her scrambled eggs as her heart raced a bit in her chest. She hadn't expected that response for Jacob, at least not that straightforward. And the way he said it almost sounded like how someone would speak to their lover or a person they were in love with. But Jacob wasn't in love with her…at least she didn't think he was. Besides, there were prettier girls he could choose to be his girlfriend, especially girls that didn't have a new disability limiting them.

A sudden poke to her forehead caused her to blink and look back up at Jacob's aura. There was a pause before Jacob asked, "What's going on in that head of yours?"

The brunette blinked before asking in return, "What makes you think I'm thinking about something?"

"Because of how your eyebrows scrunch together and how your lip pouts cutely."

If her face hadn't blushed brightly the first time, it definitely did now. She began to stammer in her attempt to say something, Jacob chuckling at her in fondness. However his chuckling quickly stopped as his nose picked up on a disgusting, sickeningly sweet stench. Turning his head his eyes landed on a pair of amber ones staring back at him on the face of the one vampire he absolutely loathed. Edward Cullen was in the diner and was glaring at them, him glaring in return. Bella, having suddenly picked up on her best friend's change in mood, frowned in concern and asked, "What's wrong?"

Jacob didn't answer right off, but then he said, "Cullen is here."

Bella froze before glancing over to see the same black aura she had seen last night. She didn't even have to ask to know it was Edward, and this time his aura was a bit darker than it had been last night. Shuddering at the menacing feel coming off of the aura Bella looked back at Jacob and said, "Jake."

Hearing the fear and concern in her voice, Jacob didn't hesitate to throw money on the table to pay for their unfinished food and stood up, taking Bella's hand in his and guiding her out of the diner. He could feel Cullen following them and in order to keep him from doing so for the moment, he "accidently" pushed a waitress carrying a tray of food towards him, causing her to trip over her feet and spill the food onto him. Glancing back he told the waitress 'sorry' while glaring at Cullen, the vampire glaring back while covered in various amounts of food and sauce, the waitress apologizing profusely to him. Once they were outside, Jacob quickly got her into Billy's truck and moved around to the driver's side and got in. He cranked the truck and pulled out of the parking lot to head back to La Push, all the while glancing at Bella to see if she was alright. Bella was gripping her white stick tightly and it was obvious she was trying to stop her trembling. It was obvious her ex's sudden appearance had shaken her.

He gritted his teeth as the thought of the leech. That asshole had purposely shown up to spook Bella, quite frankly sore from her breaking up with him. Even he could feel how menacing his attitude was coming off towards them, and it worried him that it was probably towards Bella. And it was obvious Bella was now fearing the vampire rather than having no sense of fear towards him and his kind. And what worried him more was that now that Bella was blind, she wouldn't be able to look out for him like he could. Suppressing his anger for Bella's sake, he pressed down on the gas pedal to get back to La Push faster.

Bella felt the truck accelerate and couldn't help but let out a sigh knowing Jacob was hurrying to get them back onto their side of the treaty line. As they went on in silence Bella couldn't help but wonder what could have possibly changed in Edward's mind the moment she broke up with him. Because whatever it was, it wasn't good and he was suddenly becoming—at least to her—obsessive and more stalker-ish than usual, if not worse. Yes, for the first time ever, she feared for her safety against Edward and she was afraid that because of her association with him and his family, she was putting Jacob in danger.


	9. Chapter 9

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 9

Ever since she had escaped the diner with Jacob to get away from Edward, Bella felt as if she was constantly looking over her shoulder. She would always feel as if she could feel him lurking around, but she couldn't prove it. She had returned home later that evening of the diner incident and couldn't even fall asleep. She was so paranoid she locked her window and had even requested for Charlie to either nail her window shut or put some sort of alarm on it so should it ever open and she didn't do it. He had been confused by her request but agreed and had ordered an alarm system for her room.

Bella had returned to wearing her boot, her leg having been hurting from leaving it the night she fled home after breaking up with Edward. She had also gotten back to studying for her exams, Angela coming over to help her as well. Before she knew it, it was the week of exams and Charlie was dropping her off at school. She got out of her dad's police cruiser, Charlie doing the same after parking in front of the school and walked with his daughter into Forks High School and to the principal's office. Bella felt the change of hard flooring to carpet through her white stick and was led over to the front desk.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan. I'm here to take my exam," Bella greeted the secretary, her grip tightening slightly on her white stick.

The secretary looked up from her computer and at the brunette and nodded saying, "Yes, one moment please." She looked through a few papers on her desk before saying, "Ah, Isabella Swan, here you are. You are to take your exams in the cafeteria every morning before lunch and can leave when you finish if you wish. Your proctor will be there with a tape recorder for your verbal answers, as well as to explain your answers. Written answers will be done so via keyboard on an awaiting laptop and calculator will be provided when need be. Seeing as your first exam today is English, you won't be needing a calculator just yet. Follow me, Miss Swan."

Bella nodded and heard the secretary stand up from her desk. Turning to her dad she gave him a small smile and said, "Wish me luck."

Charlie smiled and hugged Bella, giving her a kiss on her forehead before saying, "You'll do fine, kiddo. Just give me a call when you're done and I'll come to pick you up."

Bella nodded to that as she had figured out how to use her cell phone despite her blindness early on. A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder and she heard the secretary say, "Come along, dear."

The brunette followed the secretary to the cafeteria, the secretary not rushing her along. Before long they reached the school's eating area and she was led to a table where her proctor was waiting on her. The proctor smiled at the girl and held out his hand saying, "Isabella, it's nice to meet you. My name is Henry and I'll be your proctor for the week."

Figuring Henry was probably holding out his hand Bella reached forward and allowed for him to take her hand, shaking it as he did so. As she released his hand the secretary said, "Henry is a sophomore from Washington State University studying in education for the blind and has agreed to be your proctor for the week."

"That's nice of you," Bella said with a small smile.

"It's no trouble, really. My little brother is blind as well and I wanted to contribute to helping those that are visually impaired."

Bella smiled and nodded before tapping her white stick against what she believed to be one of the cafeteria seats, pleased to hear that it was. Sitting down she heard the secretary leave, leaving her and Henry to themselves. As she sat Henry told her how they would begin when the bell rang to signal the start of the exam, but until then they could talk. He seemed like a friendly guy and Bella found that in a way, he reminded her of Angela. Of course he seemed to come off too friendly a bit and she couldn't help but asked, "Henry, you're not flirting with me are you?"

Henry looked alarmed by the sudden question before laughing and answering, "No, no I'm not. Sorry, I tend to be really friendly and many girls think I'm flirting with them. I promise I'm not, Isabella. Besides, I don't think my boyfriend would like it if I was."

"Oh, I'm sorry to assume. And yeah, I don't want to deal with an angry boyfriend, especially one I can't see."

The two of them laughed at Bella's little joke, the bell ringing not long after. Henry shook his head to rid himself of his mirth and got into a serious mode of being a proctor, starting the tape recorder and beginning the exam. Bella took a deep breath and placed her fingers on the keys of the laptop in front of her, ready to type in answers or say them should she have to.

* * *

Two hours later the bell rang signaling the end of the exam period for the day. Bella stretched her fingers from where she had been typing and allowed Henry to take the laptop from her, saving the document she had been using to type her answers on. He also turned off the tape recorder with her verbal answers and said, "That concludes your English exam, Isabella. I will pass your answers off to your English teacher and you are free to go for the day."

"Thanks Henry," Bella said as she took her white stick from the table and extended it so she could use it again. She stood up from her seat and heard Henry finishing packing up as she pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She opened it and pressed the speed dial button, immediately calling Charlie. He answered after a few rings and she let him know she was finished for the day. Charlie told her he was on his way as he was already out of the station before hanging up.

Henry moved next to her and asked, "Your dad picking you up?"

Nodding Bella said, "Yeah, I'm just going to wait for him outside."

"Alright, then I'll at least walk you to the front door before going to your teacher."

The two of them headed for the exit of the cafeteria and stepped out of it. Just as they did, a voice said, "Bella."

Bella stopped immediately and her body tensed, her grip on her white stick tightening considerably. Taking a deep breath to calm herself and act somewhat normal in front of Henry she said curtly, "Edward."

"I haven't accepted that we've broken up. Now please stop this nonsense and come back to me."

"Edward, no. I'm not getting back together with you. I told you my reasons for breaking up with you, now I'd like you to leave me alone. You showing up like this out of nowhere is annoying and I don't like it."

Henry looked between the two teenagers and frowned. Looking at Edward he immediately concluded that the dude was a creep among creeps and probably was a pretty rich boy that didn't take rejection well. And the moment he showed up he had noticed how Bella's whole demeanor had changed. Deciding to diffuse the situation before it even escalated (because he had a feeling it would), he said, "Excuse me, Edward was it? Listen, Isabella just took a long exam and she's probably tired and doesn't want to deal with any shit you're trying to dish out. Not to mention you seem to make her nervous. I'm not going to claim to know anything about your relationship with her, but don't be a creep about it all, okay? Because you come off _very_ creepy, especially with those amber colored eyes and the dark circles under them."

Edward was absolutely shocked by what Henry had boldly said to him. Bella was too, but she couldn't help but laugh at the fact that Henry had called Edward creepy to his face. Henry gave Edward a rather challenging look as if to dare him to refute his statement before taking Bella's free hand and guiding her to the front doors of the school, leaving Edward standing looking wide-eyed and stupid.

As they stepped outside of the school Bella said, "Thanks for that, Henry."

"It's no problem. Besides, I think your dad is here anyway," Henry replied as he watched a police cruiser pulled up with a man that resembled Bella. However it was the other man in the passenger seat that caught his attention as he stepped out of the cruiser. "Now who is that tall glass of water?"

Bella blushed as she took in the golden aura coming towards her and said softly, "Jake."

Jacob grinned as he walked up to Bella and hugged her saying, "Hi Bells. Charlie stopped by the Res for a little bit and I asked him to let me come with him back to Forks. He got your call not long after we crossed over. How'd your first exam go?"

Returning his hug Bella answered, "I think it went well. Jake, this is my proctor for the week Henry. Henry, this is my best friend Jacob."

Henry shook Jacob's hand and noticed his slightly narrowed eyes looking at him almost suspiciously. Chuckling he said, "I'm not interested in Bella, if that's what you're thinking. I already told Bella I have a boyfriend."

Charlie laughed at Jacob's embarrassed expression and said, "Chief Swan, Bella's father. I'm trusting you to look out for her during her tests."

"I am, sir. I even got a chance to meet that weirdo ex-boyfriend of hers."

"Oh? And how did that meeting go with the little twerp?"

Bella snickered and said, "He called him a creep to his face."

Jacob smirked and gave Henry a fist bump. Charlie nodded in approval and the three of them bid Henry 'farewell' before they climbed into the police cruiser and left the premises. As they drove to the Swan house so Charlie could drop Jacob and Bella off, Jacob said, "By the way Bells, Ms. Opal wants you to visit again. Either that or she can come visit you."

Grinning at the prospect of seeing the kind woman again, Bella said, "I'd like that; I've missed her."

Charlie looked at Bella in the rear-view mirror and said, "I've heard you talk about her and she sounds like a nice lady. I think I'd like to meet her as well. You know, formally introduce myself."

Both Bella and Jacob turned to look at Charlie, though only Jacob could see his expression. Taking in the chief's slightly red face he said, "She's married, Charlie."

Charlie spluttered in response, claiming that that wasn't why he was saying he wanted to introduce himself, his obvious lie causing the two teens to laugh. Bella shook her head said with a giggle in her voice, "You're funny, dad."

* * *

Later that evening Bella sat in her room studying for her exam the next day as Charlie installed the alarm system in her room around her window. He still didn't understand why she wanted it there in particular, but he didn't question it. Before long he was finished putting it in and set the alarm before saying, "Alright kiddo, the alarm is set up, just like you wanted."

"Thanks dad," Bella replied as she looked towards him, pausing her finger moving along her notes in Braille.

Charlie ruffled her hair and sat down on her bed with her, picking up some of her notes and looking at the written words above the Braille translation. It looked like she was studying for history. Putting her notes back down he said, "You're going to do just fine tomorrow, just like how you did today."

Bella smiled at her father before nodding, going back to studying. She felt Charlie stand up and head to leave her room, only to hear him stop briefly. Looking up towards him she asked, "What is it?"

There was a moment of silence before Charlie asked, "Is Ms. Opal really married?"

The brunette raised an eyebrow at the question, a teasing smile forming on her face. She couldn't blame Charlie for showing interest in the woman, though he had never met her. She always spoke so highly of her, so she could understand Charlie wanting to meet her. She was surprised he seemed to want to come out of bachelorhood. Either way she nodded and said, "Yes, she is. But you can still meet her, though."

Charlie nodded before leaving Bella to study, ignoring her giggle as he left. Once he was gone, Bella continued studying, only to hear her phone go off. Grabbing it she heard it tell her she had a text message. Angela had programmed her phone to speak text messages to her whenever she received them, so she opened it to hear who it was from.

 _"You have a message from Jacob Black. Message says: Just thinking about you, Bells. I hope you sleep well and good luck tomorrow on your exam. I'll pick you up afterwards and we'll hang out, if that's alright with you. Good night, honey."_

Bella smiled at the sweet message and replied to it, a blush on her face. She set her phone aside and began studying again, though her mind kept whirling with Jacob's sweet words.

* * *

Jacob looked down at his phone as it buzzed, alerting him to an incoming text message. Seeing it was from Bella he opened it and read it, a happy grin appearing on his face. He ignored Billy's knowing look as he closed his phone and set it aside before looking back at the television. Even so, his mind relayed the girl's message, his heart fluttering at her sweet message.

 _Thanks Jake, and I would love to spend time with you tomorrow. I always love spending time with you and wish I could all of the time. I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep well tonight, Jake._


	10. Chapter 10

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 10

The rest of the week went by and each day Bella took a different exam in the cafeteria with Henry proctoring her. Today was the last day of exams, and then next week would be the last week of school before summer. And then in the fall, Bella would officially be a high school senior, something she found both exciting and daunting. Of course, that wouldn't happen unless she finished her exams and passed them, something Charlie, Jacob, and Henry were certain of.

Bella typed away on the testing laptop, finishing up her response to the question Henry had asked her to answer. She was confident in this answer for Biology, believing that it was one-hundred percent correct. Just as she finished typing her answer, the bell rang to signal the end of the exam period. Sighing Bella sat back in her seat as Henry went on to do his ending speech as required per exam, popping and flexing her cramped fingers. When Henry finished his speech, he smiled and said, "You did it, Isabella. You finished your exams for junior year; congratulations."

"Thanks Henry," Bella said with a smile. "And thanks for being my proctor. I know you didn't have to, but thanks anyway."

"It's no trouble at all, really."

"Do you think we'll stay in touch following this?"

"If you want to, and I would like that." Henry then smiled. "Besides, I think Miles wants to meet the blind girl that I proctored for the week."

Bella's eyes widened. "Oh, really? Your boyfriend wants to meet me?"

Henry nodded. "Yeah, at some point. But he does work and is pretty busy, so we'll see."

"Well I would love to one day. And again, thanks for doing this for me. I don't think any of my teachers would have known how to accommodate for me."

"My parents and I have helped my brother's teachers accommodate his testing needs since he was in kindergarten, and now he's in eighth grade, so it was no problem."

Bella stood up from her seat as she listened to Henry pack up everything, picking up her bookbag and putting it on one shoulder. She grabbed her white stick and stuck her hand through the loop on it so it could hang from her wrist. She then took her cell phone out of her pocket and opened it, scrolling through it and listening to it speak the name of each contact in her cellphone phonebook. When it said Jacob's name, she pressed on his name to call and held the device to her ear. She listened to it ring for a while before Jacob finally answered.

 _"Hey Bells,"_ Jacob answered cheerfully. _"Are you done with your exam?"_

"Hey Jake. Yeah, I'm done with it. I was wondering could you come and pick me up. If you don't mind, of course."

 _"Of course I'm picking you up, Bells. And I'd drop you off and pick you up every day if I could."_

Bella blushed at his honest words, a smile appearing on her face. She bit her lip before asking, "So, how long will I have to wait for you to get here?"

"Not very long," Jacob answered, his voice coming very clear from behind her.

Turning around Bella smiled as soon as she saw Jacob's golden aura standing before her. Walking over to him Bella hugged him and said, "You should have said you were already here."

Jacob grinned down at the brunette and replied, "I wanted to surprise you, honey."

Henry chuckled and said, "I'd say you did, Jacob." He walked over to them and said, "I'm off to deliver Isabella's test scores, and then head back to Washington State. I have a few students to tutor for summer courses."

"Okay. Wait, let me get your number," Bella said, passing her phone to Henry. She listened to him type his number in it, then call his own phone so he could have her number. When he handed her phone back to her she said, "Bye Henry. Talk to you later."

"You too, Isabella. Bye Jacob."

"Bye man," Jacob replied as Henry left.

Jacob took Bella's hand in his and led her out of the cafeteria and towards the exit of Forks High School. He wasn't really surprised when Bella didn't extend her white stick since he was the one helping her along. She had told him once that she felt comfortable enough with him by her side to not have to use the thing. Once they were outside, Jacob helped her down the stairs and to his car, opening the door for her and allowing her to sit in it. As Bella sat down she frowned and said, "This is a new car."

The Shifter chuckled and closed the door before walking around to the driver's side and getting in. As he started the car he said, "Actually, she's old but I'm patching her up. It's a VW Rabbit, and she's my pride and joy."

Bella giggled and said, "Well, she seems pretty patched up if she came all this way."

"Don't let that fool you, she still has some kinks to be worked out. But anyway, I figured that if you wanted to, I'd take you to La Push to visit Ms. Opal."

Chocolate brown eyes brightened as Bella said, "Yes, I'd love to!"

Jacob grinned and nodded, driving out of the parking lot and towards the Reservation, looking in the rear-view mirror briefly to see golden eyes watching them leave.

* * *

Knocking on Ms. Opal's door, Bella and Jacob waited patiently for the kind blind woman to answer the door. Eventually the door was opened, but not by Ms. Opal. Bella blinked as she took in the silver aura before her before looking at Jacob. Jacob looked at the man standing before them before saying, "Hi Randall."

"Hello, Jacob," Randall said to the tall boy. His hazel eyes moved to Bella and stared at her for a moment before saying, "This must be the Bella my Opal speaks so fondly of."

Bella blushed lightly before holding out her hand saying, "Bella Swan, it's nice to meet you, sir."

Randall took the brunette's hand and shook it in return saying, "Randall Phillips, pleased to meet you."

The brunette was almost surprised to hear his last name. She figured Opal wasn't Ms. Opal's last name, but it also could have been. Clearing her throat, she said, "We're here to visit Ms. Opal. Is she here right now?"

"She is; please, come in."

Jacob and Bella stepped inside the Phillips's home, going to the living room and settling down on the couch. As they sat, Randall walked down the hallway to his and his wife's bedroom, letting her know that she had visitors. Two minutes later he came back down the hallway, Ms. Opal following behind him. The moment Ms. Opal stepped into the living room she smiled and greeted, "Hello Jacob and Bella. I'm so happy that you've come to visit."

Bella smiled at her Ms. Opal, or rather her blue aura and said, "I missed coming to visit and haven't had a chance to until now"

"Yes, Jacob told me you were studying for your exams. How are those going?"

"They went well, and I finished my last one today. So, there's only one week of school left and then I'm out for the summer."

"That's good."

Randall nodded and asked, "Did they accommodate for you?"

Nodding Bella answered, "Yes, they did. They even got me a proctor from Washington State to overview my testing for me."

Jacob nodded and said, "His name is Henry and he's studying to help the visually impaired. He has a younger brother that's blind too, and he wants to help all he can."

Ms. Opal smiled happily. "That's so sweet of him. Not many people understand the needs of the blind and how to accommodate for them. Sometimes they don't even realize that we aren't invalids and don't want to be treated any different from anyone else."

Bella smiled and nodded slightly, taking in the wise woman's words and coming to find them to be very true. She knew herself that though some things would have to change for her, she didn't want to be treated any different. She was still the same Bella Swan she had always been. And she was so glad that Jacob, Charlie, and Angela didn't treat her any differently now that she had lost her eyesight. She frowned however at the thought of Edward, and how the moment she started venturing outside her home again, he took it upon himself to do things for her that she didn't ask nor need him to do. He had always treated her like she was fragile, and the moment it was confirmed she was blind it had only gotten worse. Of course by then, she was realizing that she didn't really love Edward and tried to make the breakup easy on him, but he instead was obviously taking it hard and not believing in the slightest that they were broken up, even though everyone else knew they were. And now he seemed to be stalking her and she didn't know what to do, especially as it was becoming summertime. She was glad she got Charlie to install that alarm on her window.

Ms. Opal seemed to sense Bella's change in mood and asked, "Are you alright, dear?"

"Y-Yes, I'm okay," Bella answered.

Ms. Opal said nothing, just raised her eyebrow in suspicion before deciding to let the matter go. Instead she engaged Bella in conversation about whether she wanted to learn more from her, to which Bella enthusiastically agreed to. Bella even told her about how she had quickly gotten the hang of reading in Braille and how to type on her phone and a computer and such. Ms. Opal smiled and told her that was great before telling her that if she wanted to start, she could begin teaching her how to read the printed word rather than Braille, walking over to her bookshelf and going to the shelf with all her folders that she kept. She browsed along the folders for a moment before taking one and opening it, running her fingers along the page for a moment before smiling.

"Ah, here we are," Ms. Opal said. Turning back to look at Bella's pale yellow aura she said, "Let's go into the kitchen and get started."

Bella smiled and nodded, standing from the couch and following the lady into her kitchen, her white stick bumping into the wall and doorway to help guide her through it. Once the two women had disappeared from sight, Randall looked at Jacob and said, "Come walk with me, Jacob."

Jacob nodded and followed Randall out of the house and outside. The two of them walked away from the house and down the road a ways in silence, passing by people and saying 'hello' to them as they went. After a while Randall stopped walking and turned to look at the teenager in front of him. He himself was a tall man, but Jacob towered over him by at least five inches. He said nothing for a moment, but then began to speak.

"Tell me something, Jacob," Randall started. "Your feelings for Bella, are they reciprocated?"

Completely taken aback by the question, Jacob flushed and scratched the back of his head. Clearing his throat he asked, "What makes you think I have feelings for Bella?"

"Because you look at her the same way I look at Opal now."

Jacob flushed darker before sighing. Shaking his head he said, "No, Bella doesn't reciprocate my feelings for her. I get the feeling that she probably knows about them but isn't acknowledging them. With her still getting used to her blindness and such, I think dating is the last thing on her mind, especially considering she broke up with her boyfriend not too long ago. And I don't want to burden her with these feelings and expect her to return them just because I want her to. Don't get me wrong, I definitely want her to, but not if she's not serious or only half-hearted; I don't want to be pitied."

Randall nodded in understanding before saying, "That may be so, but I see something that you don't seem to be seeing." At Jacob's confused look, he smiled softly and continued. "Bella's feelings for you are reciprocated."

"Th-They are?" Jacob couldn't believe that. That wasn't true, was it? God, he so wanted that to be true.

"Yes, she does. She returns your feelings Jacob, but she hasn't realized them yet. As far as she's concerned, you are her best friend. Now there is nothing wrong with that, though it can be frustrating when you're the one who's feelings are easily seen."

Jacob was quiet for a moment before asking, "Are you speaking from experience?"

Randall nodded. "Yes, I am. Like you, it was pretty obvious that I was in love with Opal, even back when we were in middle school together. She never reciprocated my feelings, instead just being my friend and I was content in that. However, the moment we entered high school, all of the guys seemed to want to date her; I've never felt jealously like that before in my life. Even so, Opal refused to date any of those guys. Many people thought we were dating because we were always together, but that wasn't true. But then in senior year, she began to return my feelings. I didn't notice at first, or at least did but thought she was just messing with me. But then she asked me to prom and kissed me there in the middle of a slow dance. _Then_ she fully confessed that she loved me."

Jacob chuckled at the thought, finding it amusing that Ms. Opal not only made the first move, but confessed her love after making her display. He could just imagine a teenage Randall looking shocked and speechless.

Randall chuckled at the memory before continuing. "Anyway, from that point on we were dating. But then the day came when she lost her sight. It was at a graduation party and some girls thought it funny to play a prank on Opal, only it wasn't funny. It was a pool party and people were splashing water in buckets at each other. These girls thought it funny to replace a bucket of water with bleach and splashed it in Opal's face. A lot of it got in her eyes and we had to rush her to the hospital. However by the time we got her there and they rushed her off, the damage had already been done to her eyes and the tissues and nerves in them."

Jacob was horrified to hear that had happened to the kind woman, and all because of a cruel prank played on her.

"Opal had a hard time coping and hated how everyone acted around her. I guess she thought I would too and broke up with me, saying that she didn't want to burden me with a blind girlfriend and that I would be better off with someone that could see. I tried telling her differently, but she seemed to believe what she believed, and thought instead that I was pitying her because of her situation. It was the first time I've ever seen Opal insecure about anything. She's so confident that having her sight taken from her, she didn't know what to do and began to drift away from me. In that moment, I realized I had to prove to her that she was worth it all to me and that no matter what, I was always going to love her. I won't go into the details of what I did, but in the end she realized that I was truly serious about her and we got back together, and have been together for twenty-three years. Anyway, I'm saying all of this to simply say that you just need to wait on Bella. She likes you romantically too, but she just hasn't realized it. Either that or she doesn't feel as if you would want to be with her because of the insecurities she carries. Jacob, prove to Bella that you mean it, that you really like or love her, because I feel like you love her by this point. But if you are letting Bella find her feet for herself right now, then do that and be there for her. Just know that your feelings will be reciprocated once she realizes what she feels, and I'll believe it'll be sooner than you think. Just give her time to see that."

The two of them stood in silence for a moment before Jacob smiled. He would hold onto Randall's words, believing that they were true. He could be patient with Bella, for as long as needed to. Looking at the older man he nodded and said, "Thank you, Randall."

Randall smiled and said, "It's not problem. Now let's go back before Opal starts wondering where we've gone off to."

Jacob chuckled and followed Randall back to his and Opal's house. As they walked back a sudden thought came to Jacob. How did Randall know he was brooding over his unreciprocated feelings for Bella? Getting his attention, he decided to ask that question. Randall smirked in response and asked, "You mean other than the way you look at her?" At Jacob's nod he continued. "Because you have a giant sign above your head that says: _I want to mate Bella._ "

Randall laughed at Jacob's shocked expression, laughing harder when Jacob yelled, "I do not want to mate her!"

Giving Jacob a knowing look Randall said, "Jacob, be serious. You may not want to now, but you will later. Your hormones are off the charts already with your current size, so try to keep the testosterone down a bit."

"Randall!" God, this was embarrassing! He was getting an impromptu sex talk, one that he really didn't want at the moment.

"What? Do you want to have it with Billy?"

"Well, no, not really."

"Alright then. Besides, he'll probably go into detail, something I'm not going to do."

Jacob groaned and covered his face, Randall laughing at him as he clapped his back. He enjoyed messing with Jacob, but he would only embarrass him but so much. Even so, he hoped he would take his advice to wait on Bella. Because he knew that in the end, it would be worth the wait.


	11. Chapter 11

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 11

Ms. Opal giggled as she listened to Bella mutter to herself as she stumbled over the printed words she was trying to read through her fingertips. The girl wasn't catching on as quick with this as she had with learning Braille, but she was confident she would get the hang of it soon. After a while Bella finally stopped and said, "I figured it was going to be harder than reading in Braille, but gosh!"

"Yes, it can be frustrating at times," Ms. Opal said as she took a bite of the lemon cookie she was eating. "There are even times now that I mess up reading the printed word."

Bella signed before saying, "Well, I've still got plenty of time to learn, so I won't worry about it right now. Besides, I'm going to learn it one day, I just know it."

"That's the spirit, Bella. Now, I want to talk to you while the men are gone."

"About what?"

"Let's talk about your unknown feelings for young Jacob."

Bella spluttered in surprise briefly before saying, "I-I don't have feelings for Jake! He's my best friend!"

Ms. Opal chuckled and said, "Well I did say they were unknown, meaning you haven't realized that you do have feelings for him. And there's nothing wrong with him being your best friend that you fall in love with."

"I'm not in love with him!"

"Not yet, but you will be."

"But…I've never heard of anyone falling in love with their best friend. It just doesn't happen."

"It happened to Randall and I."

There was a moment of silence before Bella asked softly, "Randall was your best friend? And you fell in love with him?"

Ms. Opal nodded and said, "Yes, and he's still my best friend to this day. We've been friends since we were in middle school and fell in love some time in high school. We got together, but I broke up with him when I went blind. I didn't want him pitying me and believed he would be doing that if he continued to stick by me with my new disability. But Randall proved to me that he loved me before being blind and would continue to afterwards. He loves me unconditionally and has never tried to change me to suit him. Randall helped me gain my confidence back and has continued to stand by me for the past twenty-three years as my husband." She grinned giddily though Bella wouldn't see it. "I just love him so much!"

Bella couldn't help but laugh at how the woman in front of her sounded talking about her husband. She also couldn't help but think that Ms. Opal and Randall were possibly the cutest couple she had met. Sure, she didn't really know Randall like she knew Ms. Opal, but from what she had just been told, Randall seemed like the perfect man. He stood by Ms. Opal during a rough time for her and continued to do so, loving her unconditionally and making her his wife. They had a type of love that she wanted, a special love, but wasn't sure that was in the cards for her anymore. And…and if Ms. Opal had that with Randall—her best friend—could she be implying that Bella could…could have that with Jacob?

She shook her head at the thought. Jacob was her best friend and he never left her side, but she didn't think they'd ever be romantic in any way. She kind of got the vibe that he was into her and probably wanted to date her, but she just couldn't bring herself to believe that Jacob really wanted her. She liked the dynamic they had now and didn't want to change it for fear if it did change, things would end in disaster for some reason or another. It happened with her parents and she was probably cursed to have it happen to her. No, she and Jacob were just fine the way they were, even if Ms. Opal seemed to believe their relationship would change like hers and Randall's.

Ms. Opal, seeming to know what she was thinking, gently placed her hand on top of Bella's and said, "Your relationship with Jacob is special Bella, and you probably don't want it to change. But if it does, don't be afraid to go after what your heart tells you to. Sometimes we listen to our heads more than our hearts, but your heart will never steer you wrong in the ways of love."

"It…it did once," Bella replied. "I thought I was in love, but I was really only infatuated. It seemed to fairytale like that I think I convinced myself I was in love with him."

"Was he your first boyfriend?"

"Yes. But…" Bella hesitated for a moment. "…but I think that I thought I was in love because I believed that I was. My parents' marriage didn't work out and my mom left my dad when I was just a baby. I don't think I had a real example of what love was except for what I read in my romance books. And I don't even try to use my mom's marriage with her husband now as an example. I almost think my mom's view on love is as flawed as mine is."

Ms. Opal nodded before saying, "I won't say your view is flawed, just misguided. Think of what you had with your ex as your trial run with love. It obviously didn't work out, but that's okay. Who's to say your next one won't and be the best thing to ever happen to you? I'm positive the love you'll share with Jacob one day will be the one you are looking for."

Bella nodded at the words Ms. Opal spoke before fully registering what she had said. Blushing brightly Bella asked, "Why do you insist that I'm in love or going to be with Jacob?"

Instead of answering, Ms. Opal just laughed, her laughter making Bella blush more but also giggle. As they laughed, Jacob and Randall entered the house and walked into the kitchen where the two women were. Randall raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing hon, just having some girl chat," Ms. Opal replied as she calmed down her laughter.

Jacob looked at Bella and took notice that her face was red. Walking over to her he asked, "You okay, Bells? Your face is flushed."

Bella blushed deeper than she already had and said quickly, "Yeah, I'm okay."

Jacob wasn't really convinced but he left it alone. Changing the subject he asked how the reading was going, to which Bella answered that she wasn't catching on as quickly as she had with Braille, but was positive she'd learn it eventually. Jacob smiled at seeing how optimistic Bella was being about it. She was so cute and he wanted to kiss her, but he remembered Randall telling him to be patient with Bella and he was determined to do so. The four of them sat and talked for a bit longer before Jacob and Bella had to leave. Walking them to the door Ms. Opal said, "Come back and visit soon. And bring that sweet friend of yours too, Bella. She was such a sweetheart."

"I'll have to ask Angela if she can, but sure. She thinks highly of you, too," Bella said with a smile.

Randall nodded before looking at Jacob and saying, "Remember what I said, Jacob."

"Yes sir," Jacob replied.

Bella and Jacob bid their 'goodbyes' before leaving and getting into Jacob's car. As they drove away from the Phillips' home, Bella turned to Jacob and asked, "What did Randall mean when he told you to remember what he said?"

Jacob blushed before answering, "We had a bit of a man to man talk and he gave me some sound advice."

"Really? Can I know what it is?"

"Um…maybe later."

"Please?"

"I promise when the time is right, I'll tell you."

Bella nodded, satisfied with the answer. Jacob didn't break promises to her, so she knew he would keep his promise to tell her whatever it was that Randall had told him. They continued to talk on their way back to Forks, laughing at certain things as they did so. And the entire time, Bella also had her conversation with Ms. Opal rolling around in the back of her mind.

* * *

Later that night Bella was listening to soft ocean music to help her go to sleep. It was completely silent in the house at one in the morning, save for the music Bella was playing from her radio, and even that didn't drift beyond the closed door of her room. Just as she was about to fully fall asleep, a noise caught her attention. The noise was faint and probably couldn't be heard by the natural ear, but because she had to rely on her sense of hearing more now, her ears had picked up on it. As she listened more, she could hear that the sound was coming from her window.

Eyes widening in fear, Bella sat up quickly as the window slid up. In that same moment, the alarm that Charlie had installed for her window went off, the noise loud in the silent house. Bella covered her ears at how loud the alarm was, but she could also hear the person at the window make a sound of pain from the loud noise before shuffling was heard and the intruder disappeared.

Charlie burst into her room and she could hear him cock his rifle before asking loudly, "Who's there?!"

"Dad," Bella said looking in his direction.

Seeing that his daughter was alright and there was no one else in sight, he walked over to the alarm system and pressed a few buttons before it finally turned off. Seeing that the window was open he asked, "Did someone try to come in?"

Nodding Bella answered, "Yes, I heard them before they tripped the alarm."

Charlie frowned before looking closer at the window, looking for anything that could give away any indication that someone was there. It wasn't that he didn't believe Bella—because he did—but his police training had kicked in and he needed to scope for evidence. Finding nothing he turned to Bella and asked, "Did you hear them at least?"

Bella hugged herself and began to tremble as she remembered hearing the cry of pain from the noise of the alarm. The voice was all too familiar, one that she wished she didn't have to ever recall. The voice that used to be pleasant to her and that she used to love that now instilled fear in her. Taking a deep breath she whispered, "It was Edward."

* * *

Bella sat on the couch as she listened to her father give orders to his fellow policemen. He had gotten completely dressed in his police attire and had called a few of his men to come to his house. At the moment, he was instructing them to have a restraining order filed and ready to be served to Edward Cullen in the next hour. One of the officers questioned why they should considering the chief's daughter was dating the boy, only to be surprised to hear she had broken up with him. That had caused Bella to explain that upon their breakup, Edward hadn't accepted it and was showing up wherever she was. To the policemen, this was beginning to turn into a stalker case and their chief's daughter's safety was on the line.

Feeling a hand gently placed on her shoulder, Bella looked up and said, "Yes?"

"It's me, kiddo," Charlie said. "Tell me, is there somewhere you'd like to stay in case you don't feel safe here? I just want to make sure you're safe and going to be somewhere where that piece of shit can't find you or get to you."

Bella smiled at her dad, happiness filling her heart at his concern for her. But Charlie was also right. She needed to be somewhere where Edward couldn't find or get to her, somewhere where he wouldn't dare to go should he want to face the consequences. As that thought crossed her mind, Bella knew instantly where she wanted to go. Nodding she said, "The Black's. I think…I _know_ I'll be safe there."

Charlie nodded and ruffled her hair before saying, "Alright, I'll call Billy and let him know about this new development. In the mean time, I'm going to serve that little ass a restraining order."

The brunette giggled a little before nodding. When Charlie walked away, Bella hugged her knees to her chest as she thought of what had just occurred. Edward had been close to entering her bedroom again, knowing she wanted nothing to do with him. She shivered as she remembered she could practically feel his dark aura at her window. Edward was dangerous and her safety was in jeopardy so long as she was where he could get to her. She had never realized it until she had gone blind, but now she was grateful that she knew. Edward was dangerous to her, and she knew that if he ever got his hands on her, he could possibly kill her.


	12. Chapter 12

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 12

Alice paced nervously as the early rays of the sun began to peak through the trees surrounding the Cullen mansion. She had had a vision of Charlie Swan giving Edward a restraining order demanding he stay away from Bella, as well as threatening him to stay away as her father. She knew why this was going to happen. It was going to happen because Edward had gone to Bella's house the night before to sneak into her bedroom, something Alice told him probably wasn't a good idea, especially with how strained his relationship with the brunette was upon her breaking up with him. Unfortunately, Edward didn't listen to her and went anyway. And though he wasn't caught, Bella obviously told Charlie Edward had tried to get inside and thus Charlie was taking legal action to ensure her brother stay away from Bella. But what made this worse was that Edward hadn't returned home yet and thus didn't even know what was coming his way.

A gentle hand placed itself on her shoulder and a wave of calm washed over her. Turning her head Alice smiled gratefully at Jasper, Jasper smiling back at her before saying, "Alice, you need to stop worrying."

"I know, but I can't help it. It's hard for me to believe Bella would even want to keep Edward away from her," Alice replied.

"He brought it on himself, Alice. Bella asked him to leave her alone and he refused, so now she's gotten her father involved to make sure he does."

Rosalie walked into the living room where the two mates were before saying, "It's not only Edward's fault this is going to happen, but Bella's as well. She should have stayed away when told to, but she didn't listen. Now Boy Wonder is going to get a restraining order for stalking Bella, even though she allowed him to and now he can't stay away and take 'no' for an answer."

The Seer didn't want to agree with her sister, but she also understood that she had a point. Edward had started off stalking Bella in the beginning because she was his Singer and he couldn't read her mind. Then Bella allowed him into her life willingly, even falling in love with him and he her. Now she didn't want anything to do with him despite all they went through with the whole James problem, and Edward wasn't taking it well.

The sound of a cruiser engine reached their ears and they knew that the police chief was coming down the road towards their house. As the sound of the police cruiser grew louder in its approach, Emmett, Esme, and Carlisle entered the living room to join the rest of their family. Of course, the one person Charlie Swan was coming for wasn't present, but they hoped he would show up soon. They didn't want to deal with this, considering it was Edward getting served, not them. Though Carlisle wouldn't be surprised if Charlie also demanded the whole family stay away from Bella, considering she was with them when she got hurt. Charlie didn't know the real reason she wound up in the hospital, but that alone would make the police chief given them his own restraining order against the family for endangering his daughter's life.

A minute later, Charlie pulled up in front of the Cullen mansion, his deputy with him as they exited the police cruiser. Carlisle met them out on the porch, Esme by his side as he did. Alice went with them with Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett staying inside; they'd be able to hear what was said anyway. Stopping at the bottom of the porch, Charlie looked at Carlisle and said, "Dr. Cullen, I would like to speak with your son, and you know the one I'm talking about."

Carlisle nodded before saying, "I'm sorry Chief Swan, but Edward currently isn't here at the moment. Is there something that I can do?"

"Don't worry, I'll wait. And you'll know what you'll need to do when he arrives and I speak with him."

The doctor nodded while keeping a neutral expression, though he already knew they Charlie was there. He wondered if Edward was going to show up at all. However, he didn't have to wonder long because he could hear his footsteps as he ran towards the house from the woods. He listened to them slow to a walk and soon Edward rounded the corner of the house to join them. Edward frowned as he easily read Charlie's and the deputy's minds, instantly knowing why they were there. However, he decided to be polite and say, "Hello, Chief Swan. Can I help you?"

Charlie glared at Edward before holding his hand out to his deputy saying, "Mark."

Deputy Mark nodded and handed the folder he had in his hand to Charlie, looking at the Cullens disinterestedly. Charlie handed the folder and said in the most serious voice Edward has ever heard him use, "You've been served."

Edward took the folder and opened it, his eyes scanning the document that was obviously a restraining order. He couldn't believe he was being served this order, the order stating that he was to stay up to five hundred to one thousand feet away from Bella, and there was no termination date for when the restraining order would no longer be valid. Looking up at Charlie he said, "I don't understand. Why would Bella want a restraining order against me?"

Charlie looked momentarily incensed before schooling his expression and said, "Because you won't leave her alone when she has asked you to multiple times, and you broke into her bedroom last night."

"You're lucky the chief doesn't arrest you just for that," Deputy Mark said. He had never cared for the Cullens—much like Charlie—and wondered why everyone else seemed to think the sun shined out of their asses, especially Dr. Cullen and his do-no-wrong Golden Boy. Too bad the Golden Boy's sneaky ways caught up to him and people would see him for the creeper he was. He just felt bad that it had to come to the extent of his chief's daughter requesting a restraining order against him.

Edward growled under his breath at Mark's thoughts before stopping at Carlisle calling his name warningly in his mind. Trying to stay polite in an attempt to get on Charlie's good side, the vampire said, "Chief Swan, I love Bella. Last night was a mistake on my part, and it won't happen again. I love her and promise I wouldn't ever hurt her, _ever_. You have to believe that."

Charlie scowled at him before saying, "I would, but I don't. You made Bella run away, only for her to get hurt and wind up in the hospital. Not just you, but your entire family. I've had a horrible feeling about you since the moment Bella introduced you to me, but I held my tongue then. But I'm not doing it anymore; I'm nipping this in the bud now. Stay away from my daughter, _all of you_ , or there will be consequences. And I'm speaking as her father this time, not the chief of police. Again, stay away from her if you know what is good for you, especially you, Edward Cullen."

Charlie and Mark turned and got back into the police cruiser, driving away and leaving the Cullens standing stunned as they did. Edward was especially flabbergasted, and he looked back down at the restraining order against him. He snarled at it before crumbling the entire folder up and throwing it on the ground. Turning to face his sire he said, "Carlisle, this is ridiculous. Charlie Swan is putting words into Bella's mouth concerning this restraining order. Do something!"

Carlisle shook his head before saying, "My word won't go above the police chief's, especially concerning his daughter. I too think Charlie may be being unreasonable, but maybe all that has happened had prompted Bella to request a restraining order against you. Maybe it is best that you leave Bella alone for good now."

Edward looked at Carlisle incredulously before looking at Esme. She gave him a sad expression but seemed to also be agreeing with her mate. He didn't have to wonder what Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett thought because he knew they agreed with Carlisle just from hearing their thoughts. Looking at Alice, he saw her frowning at Carlisle and Esme, she being the only one to not agree with their adoptive parents. Pursing his lips Edward declared, "I love Bella, and she still loves me. We're meant to be together, I know it. I just have to make her realize it again, but I can only do that when Jacob Black is out of the way."

"Edward, don't you do anything stupid."

"I won't. I'm just going to make sure Bella understands I'm the only choice she has."

* * *

Bella sat on her front porch, her bookbag on her back and her suitcase and duffle bags next to her as she waited her father to return. He had left to go serve Edward his restraining order, leaving her to finish packing her things. She hadn't been able to return to sleep the night before and instead had decided to pack her things to move into the Black house. After Charlie had called Billy to update him on the recent events and her request to live with them on the Reservation, Billy had graciously accepted and said that he and Jacob would have her room ready for her when she got there with the promise to look out for and take care of her while she was staying.

Listening to the sounds of nature as she sat, Bella found that she loved it. Living with Renee in sunny Arizona made her never want to venture outside in the sun and stay inside. Her reclusive nature followed her to Forks all the way up until a few weeks ago. Now she loved being outside, listening to little critters scurrying around, the wind rustling through the leaves of the trees, and the sound of the running water of a stream if there was one nearby; she absolutely loved it. She had to admit that in becoming blind, it had turned into some sort of blessing for her. Being blind made her see things in a way she never had before, as well as see people for who they really were, and it seemed that Edward was no exception. In fact, she was grateful she was finally able to see Edward for what and who he really was. In becoming blind, her blinders had come off and she was happy about it.

Hearing the sound of the police cruiser pulling up, Bella stood up with her white cane in her hand, pressing the button to extend it. She heard the engine shut off and the door of the cruiser open and close. Stepping off of the porch Bella said, "Hi dad."

"Hey kiddo," Charlie greeted. Picking up her duffle bags he asked, "Are you ready?"

Nodding, Bella grabbed the handle of her suitcase and followed her father to his car, allowing him to place that and her bags in the car. He also took her bookbag off her back and placed it in the car as well before they both got in. Once they were set, Charlie pulled out of his driveway and headed for La Push. Bella felt a bit sad that she was leaving her home and even sadder that she was leaving Charlie in the house by himself again. Charlie himself couldn't help but feel sad that his little girl wasn't going to be living with him for a while. However, they both understood the reason as to why and accepted it, and Charlie knew that of all the people he could trust to take care of Bella, it was Billy Black.

The two of them traveled to La Push, talking quietly with one another as they did. The windows were down and Bella could feel the air on her skin as it came through the windows. After a while Bella could smell the change in the air and how it smelled earthier than in Forks; they were in La Push. The drive continued for a while longer before the cruiser eventually stopped. Bella sighed before getting out of the cruiser with Charlie, stopping when she saw Jacob's gold aura not too far away, as well as Billy's blue aura—blue much like Ms. Opal's.

Smiling their way Bella said almost shyly, "Hi."

Jacob smiled back at her and replied, "Hi honey."

Billy smiled and rolled down the ramp from the porch and over to the brunette. Gently taking her hands in his he said, "No need to be nervous, Bella. You're always welcome here, you know that." He then lowered his voice so Charlie wouldn't here. "And you'll be safe from your Cold One."

"Thanks Billy," Bella responded.

Patting her hand gently, Billy turned to his son and said, "Jake, help Charlie get Bella's stuff out of the car."

Jacob nodded and helped Charlie gather Bella's luggage, taking it and setting it on the porch. Once that was done, Charlie walked over to Bella and said, "Well kiddo, I guess you're all set."

Bella looked up at her father, finally taking notice of the color of his own aura color. It was deep red, which Ms. Opal told her meant a person was grounded and realistic, as well as other facts. Not only that, but it also had yellow in it, meaning Charlie was easygoing and optimistic. It almost seemed weird to think her father was optimistic, but that didn't mean he wasn't. Like her, he kept a lot to himself and inside, only letting it out when need be. She liked her father's aura color, it really seemed to fit him, she thought.

Smiling a little up at him, Bella said softly, "I know you'll come when you can, but I'm going to miss you. I don't want to leave you alone again."

"I'll be alright, don't worry. And as long as I know you're here and safe, I'm not alone and I'm happy."

The brunette felt tears pricking her eyes and she hugged her father, Charlie returning her hug as well. Jacob and Billy smiled at the two, knowing this was hard for the both of them, though necessary. Pulling away Bella smiled and said, "See you, dad."

Charlie set a hand on her head and ruffled her hair a bit before replying, "See you, kiddo. I'll be back when I can."

Bella nodded and watched her father's aura move, obviously getting into his police cruiser, and how it got further and further away as Charlie left until his aura was completely out of sight. She sighed and turned around, only to yelp in surprise at seeing Jacob's aura so close. She hadn't heard him walk up behind her at all, but that probably came down to his Shifter abilities.

Jacob looked down at her in concern and asked softly, "Are you okay?"

She didn't answer right off, willing herself to not cry. She soon nodded slowly saying, "I will be."

Taking her answer, Jacob took her hand in his and said, "Come on, I'll take you to your room. It used to be Rachel and Rebecca's, but dad said you can have it since they've moved out. We've taken their stuff out and placed it in the cellar."

"You have a cellar?"

"Where do you think dad keeps all of his homemade moonshine?"

"Jake, don't tell her where I keep my good stuff," Billy cut in. "If she gets a hold of any and the chief catches her, he'll blame me."

Bella giggled and Jacob laughed while helping Bella up the stairs of the porch. Jacob picked up all of Bella's bags and her suitcase, and held the door open for her and Billy to enter the home before he followed them. As Jacob and Bella headed down the hallway to the room she would be occupying until further notice, Billy sighed to himself before moving over to the phone. Picking it up, he dialed a familiar number and held it to his ear, listening to the sound of the ringer. After a while it was finally answered.

 _"Hello?"_ Old Quil's voice answered.

"It's me, Old Quil. I'd like to speak with you today, if possible. There have been some changes and I want to inform you of them. Also, we may have a problem in the near future concerning Bella Swan."

It was quiet over the phone for a moment before Old Quil began speaking again. _"I'll be over around lunchtime. We can speak then. And I'm sure when you say Bella Swan, you mean the Cullens, especially the one she was involved romantically with."_

"Yes, I do. I'll see you then."

Billy hung up the phone before sighing. After what Charlie had told him, he had had a bad feeling settle itself in his stomach, and he feared for Bella in concerns to her ex. He just hoped with Bella being on the Reservation, things would either get a sense of normalcy, or buy them some time before Edward Cullen made his move. Because so long as he didn't let Bella go like she had him, things would only get worse, he was sure of it, no matter how long it took.


	13. Chapter 13

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 13

News of police chief Charlie Swan serving Dr. Carlisle Cullen's son a restraining order on behalf of his daughter traveled through Forks fast. And because of how fast the news traveled, the whispers and rumors traveled faster. No one knew the exact reason why Bella placed a restraining order against Edward, but it was enough for them to speculate reasons as to why. Many people believed that perhaps he was stalking her or even had been verbally abusive and she wanted nothing else to do with him and he wasn't leaving her alone. Not many people knew the reason, but that didn't keep people from talking. What had them talking more was when it was found out that Bella had moved out of her home for the time being and no one knew where she had gone. And because of how heavily it was being talked about, whenever Carlisle or Edward were seen in public, they were constantly stared at and whispered about, every word of what was said heard by the vampires.

Many people pitied the blind girl, especially considering she was no longer dating the guy she had to get a restraining order against. They figured she had to no longer feel safe around him, especially when she couldn't see him anymore. There were still a few that were on the Cullens' side and thus found it ridiculous that Bella would even have a restraining order against Edward, but for the most part, people were on her side. When Charlie had informed Bella of this, she almost felt bad because it her action had brought about a lot of attention, but if it kept Edward away from her for a while, she was alright with it. The only thing she worried about was the low profile the Cullens were trying to keep being ruined. Then again, if Edward hadn't done what he did, things wouldn't have escalated to this.

"I tried to handle this with him in a way that would be silent and not bring attention to him or me," Bella had told Jacob. "I guess Edward wanted to do it the hard way."

"Don't feel bad about it, Bells," Jacob had told her, seeing she felt a bit guilty about the bad rep the Cullens were beginning to get. "If this is what it takes for the leech to leave you alone, then that is on him, not you."

Jacob's talk had made her feel better about what she had done. She just hoped there wouldn't be any major repercussions.

* * *

Jacob yawned as he walked back into his home after a night of patrols. Jared had caught the scent of the redhead on their lands and he and Jacob had spent the night tailing it until they could no longer follow. After that Sam told them to patrol in the event they found her scent or her, but neither did. Going towards the kitchen he saw Billy sitting at the table drinking a cup of tea and reading the morning newspaper. Giving him a nod, he said, "Morning dad."

"Good morning, son," Billy greeted in return. "How was patrolling?"

"Tiring. We caught the scent of that redheaded leech, but we lost it."

"At least you know that she is still in this area. I just don't understand the reason as to why." A thoughtful expression came over Billy's face. "I wonder if Bella knows. It was another vampire that caused her "accident". I wonder if this redhead has any connection."

"I doubt it. But at this point, I just want to eat and take a nap."

Nodding in understanding Billy said, "That's fine, son. Go on ahead and do that, and I'll get breakfast started. Also, wake up Bella when you get the chance."

Jacob nodded and headed straight towards the bathroom, intent on taking a shower before eating and napping. Stepping into the bathroom, he closed the door behind himself and stripped out of his cutoff shorts. He then turned on the faucet of the shower and stepped into the spray, the hot water washing down over him and along his strong, firm muscles. Sighing as he felt his muscles relax, he grabbed the soap and washcloth and lathered it up before scrubbing himself squeaky clean. Once he was done and had rinsed away any lingering suds on his body, he turned off the shower and got out, grabbing and towel and drying himself before wrapping and securing the towel around his waist.

Exiting the bathroom he was on his way to his room, but instead stopped by Bella's room. Figuring he should wake her up now, he knocked lightly on the door and called out, "Bells? Are you awake?"

Receiving no answer, Jacob knocked again and turned the knob, slowly pushing the door open and peering inside. A smile appeared on his face seeing the brunette sleeping peacefully in her bed. Quietly stepping inside, he moved over towards the bed and gently sat down next to Bella's sleeping form. Smiling down at her, he took in beautifully pale skin and cute natural blush on her cheeks, as well as her sooty lashes that seemed to rest atop her cheekbones. And her lips, they were so cute and in the cutest pout as she slept. Honestly, Bella was just adorable when she slept; not to say she wasn't adorable when awake, but since she was asleep, she was adorable when sleeping.

Reaching a hand out, he gently stroked her brown locks, loving how silky they felt under his fingertips. He stilled momentarily when Bella moved slightly and sighed, settling back into her sleep, completely comfortable. Jacob chuckled softly before placing a gentle hand on her shoulder and bending down close to her ear. In a whisper he said, "Bells, wake up honey."

* * *

Bella slept peacefully and sighed when she felt what felt like fingers stroking through her hair. It felt so warm and she felt safe and secure and at peace from the feeling. However, a pleasant shiver ran down her spine when she felt warm breath on her ear and a deep, almost sultry voice whisper, "Bells, wake up honey."

 _This feels too real to be a dream,_ Bella thought before rousing from her slumber. Opening her eyes, she was almost blinded by gold light and how close it was to her face. Realizing that it was Jacob's aura, she let out a yelp and quickly sat up, her hands flying forward from almost falling over the side of the bed. Luckily Jacob caught her, but in the process his bare thigh slipped through the towel and Bella's hands landed right on it. Feeling the warm skin and hard muscle underneath her hands, Bella slowly moved them up until one hand touched the fabric of a towel, and other touched…

"Jake!" Bella cried, her face turning bright red as she scrambled back and completely fell off her bed this time. Quickly sitting up to face her best friend she cried, "Jake, why are you in my room naked?!"

Jacob quickly stood up and secured his towel again as it began to become undone before saying, "I'm in a towel."

"You're still naked!"

"Sorry." Jacob went to help Bella stand, all the while trying to keep his penis that was in the beginning stages of hardening from Bella touching it down.

Bella blushed harder as Jacob helped her stand before she began pushing him, presumably towards the bedroom door, all the while telling him to leave and put some clothes on. However, all she did was push him into the bed and he fell back, Bella falling with him and on top of him. Hands settled on her hips as her face met a muscular chest and Bella gasped, lifting her head to look at Jacob. His aura was so close to her, so mesmerizing, and all she could think was that she was embarrassed because of the situation, and that she wanted to continue to bask in the golden aura that was her best friend Jacob Black.

As she stared at him, her heart began beating faster in her chest. She was a bit surprised however to feel Jacob's heart doing the same beneath her hand that she had resting on his chest. Looking at him, she could—for the first time—make out not only Jacob's shape through his aura, but his face. She could actually see his facial features for the first time since becoming blind! And as exciting as that was for her, all she could focus on was his lips and how close they were. As she focused on Jacob's lips, all she could think was that they looked so kissable and that she suddenly wanted to kiss him. Before she could think about that anymore, a throat cleared and drew hers and Jacob's attention to the open bedroom door where Billy was staring at them.

Billy looked at his son and Charlie's daughter for a moment with an unreadable expression before finally saying, "If you wanted privacy, you should have given me a heads up so I can leave."

"Dad, it's not what it looks like," Jacob said lamely, his face about as red as Bella's. He knew his response was lame because it looked _exactly_ like what it looked like.

Bella quickly scrambled off of Jacob and onto her feet before pointing an accusatory finger at him and saying to Billy, "Your son came into my room naked."

"I can see that," Billy replied, an amused smirk forming on his face.

Standing and holding onto his towel Jacob said, "You told me to wake her up, dad."

"Yes, but I didn't think you'd do so fresh out of your shower. Have some decency, son. We have a lady in the house again." Billy backed out of the doorway and turned his chair to head back down the hall to the kitchen. "When you both have a minute, breakfast is ready to be served. And after breakfast, you can feel each other up or do whatever you wish with each other, just so long as I'm out of the house when you do."

"Dad!"

Bella covered her face in embarrassment as Billy laughed, Jacob leaving her room to head to his own to dress. Sinking down to sit onto her bed she mumbled, "I was on top of Jacob while he was naked…oh my God…"

Billy chuckled before asking teasingly, "Did you like it, Bella?"

The man laughed louder when Bella groaned and fell back onto her bed, taking her pillow and putting it over her face to block him out. She loved Billy, she really did, but he was so embarrassing and so much worse that Charlie when it came to teasing her about Jacob. Even so, she had to silently admit to herself that she liked the feeling of her body pressed against Jacob's. However, that did not mean she wanted to date him, or that she liked him more than a friend…at least she didn't think it did. Did she like Jacob more than a friend? And was it possible he probably had just awoken possible sexual emotions inside her? She almost hoped not.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter; I've had a lot going on recently, but it is all good now. Anyway, I thought I'd end this chapter on a more lighter note with a bit of humor thrown in. I like the way it turned out and I hope you all did as well. Thanks so much for your support and hope you stick around for more. Love, SehunsBae37.**


	14. Chapter 14

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 14

Following the embarrassment of what had happened earlier that morning, Bella had been able to get up and dressed, and attend breakfast with Jacob and Billy. She hadn't been able to even turn her face towards Jacob, but luckily Billy hadn't embarrassed her further and they had a nice breakfast with light conversation. Now that breakfast was over, Jacob went to his room to finally take a nap and Billy decided to go and visit Harry Clearwater, leaving Bella to her own devices. Seeing as she had nothing particularly planned for the day Bella put her shoes on, grabbed her white stick, and left the house to go on a bit of a walk.

Walking down the road, Bella took in the smells of nature around her, as well as those of urban life. She continued to walk for a bit before she heard someone call her name, catching her attention. Turning she saw a familiar green aura heading her way and she smiled seeing that it was Embry. Waving at him she greeted, "Good morning, Embry. You seem to be bright-eyed and bushy tailed."

Embry laughed and replied, "I am because I didn't have to patrol last night. But I do have the afternoon shift, so I'm having some me-time right now."

"It's always good to have me-time."

"I'll say. Hey, what are you doing out here by yourself?"

"Just taking a walk. Billy is gone to the Clearwaters and Jacob is taking a nap from getting off patrolling."

Embry nodded before saying, "Listen, I was heading towards the pet shop to get some fish food for my mom's goldfish. You can join me if you want."

Bella tilted her head at hearing that La Push had a pet shop. Jacob had never mentioned it to her before, so this was the first that she had heard of the shop. Though she had never been much for animals, visiting the pet shop with Embry sounded like fun. Deciding that she did want to visit the pet shop, she nodded and said, "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Awesome. Come on, let's go."

Gently taking hold of Bella's arm, he led her down the road towards the pet shop, the two of them talking along the way. Bella enjoyed spending time with Embry. He was very soft spoken and attentive, and he was just so sweet. In fact, he reminded her of Angela who she was positive he had a crush bit of a crush on. Ten minutes later, they eventually stopped in front of the pet shop, Embry holding the door open for Bella. The brunette used her white stick to check for any steps, feeling a small one and another slight step up into the building. Once she was inside with no mishaps, Embry followed her inside.

Smelling the scent of animals and animal food, as well as hearing them barking, meowing, chirping, etcetera, Bella said, "It's rather loud."

Embry nodded and said, "It's a rather small shop, so it can be pretty loud when the animals get excited or rowdy. I guess it is much louder for you, huh?"

"Yeah, a bit."

"Well, I'm going to go get the fish food. You can look around for a bit if you want."

Bella nodded and walked off in a direction, her ears letting her know she was getting closer and closer to animals in crates, the animals sounding mostly like dogs and cats. Stopping she heard excited yips and whimpers, the sound alerting her that she was most likely in front of a cage or crate full of puppies. Bending down, she reached her hand forward and touched the bards of the cage, giggling when she felt fur and tiny tongues licking her hand. She was so enthralled with the puppies she was interacting with, that she didn't notice the man that walked up to her until he spoke.

"I see you like those pups there," the man said, startling Bella at his sudden presence.

Looking up towards the voice of the man, Bella said, "Yeah, they're very cute."

"I know. They're Labrador Retriever puppies, golden, chocolate, and black. Would you like to have one?"

Bella stood up and replied, "I wasn't really in here looking for a pet. And even if I was, I don't have the money to buy one."

The shop owner looked at the brunette teenager, taking in her almost shy demeanor. Taking notice of her white stick, he realized she was blind and his eyes softened. He didn't know a lot of blind people, but those that he knew personally were pretty amazing people, and he had a feeling this girl was amazing as well. And he believed an amazing girl deserved something special in her life. Reaching over into the crate of puppies, he picked up a black one and held it out to her, the puppy licking her on her cheek. Giggling, Bella reached up and gave the pup a pet before looking presumably at the shop owner's face, silently asking him what he was doing.

"This little guy right here is all yours," the shop owner said.

With wide eyes Bella shook her head saying, "Oh no, I couldn't take him. Like I said, I can't afford him, or everything for him."

"Don't worry about it, I insist."

"No, I really couldn't."

Embry took that moment to step up to the two, a little container of fish food in his hand. Looking between them and the puppy, he asked, "What's going on?"

Bella looked at Embry's green aura and answered, "He's giving me this Labrador puppy."

"Okay…then why not take it?"

"Because I can't afford him, and I'm not even sure Billy would want a puppy in the house."

The shop owner stood with the puppy in his arms for a moment before nodding to himself. Looking at the brunette he said, "Tell you what. You take this sweet little guy, and you can work for me to pay me back. I'll provide with everything you need for him, and you only have to pay me back with hard work and care for the rest of the critters here. Besides, he and the rest of them need real homes."

She was cracking, she could feel herself cracking. Having the puppy for a pet was so appealing, but she just wasn't sure. Sensing her wavering, Embry said, "Think of it this way, Bella. You'll have someone to keep you company while Jake is gone, he could become your eyes for you—like guide dog—and he could also alert you if some "undesirables" suddenly lurk around."

Bella knew Embry was talking about vampires when he said 'undesirables', and probably mainly the Cullens. Though they were civil vampires—or as civil as a vampire could get—the people of La Push still didn't care for them, and with the her having moved onto the Reservation to escape Edward, the dislike for the Cullens grew more; at least it did for the Pack and those involved. She thought about it for a while before finally coming to a decision. Nodding her head, Bella agreed to take the Labrador puppy.

The shop owner smiled and deposited the puppy into Bella's arms, telling her he would get a harness, leash, food and water bowl, and all necessities that were needed for the puppy. Embry helped him and before long, Bella and Embry were leaving the pet shop with her new puppy and the puppy supplies, Embry carrying his mom's fish food in his pocket. As they left Bella said, "I can't believe I got a dog and a job all in the same day."

"I know, it's pretty cool," Embry replied as he carried Bella's puppy supplies. "By the way, when do you start?"

"He said I can start next week on Monday at nine AM. Oh shoot! I don't even know his name!"

"His name is Lambo."

Bella stopped and turned her head towards Embry, looking at his green aura with a tilted head. "Like Lamborghini?"

"I have no idea, but he told us to call him Lambo. But between you and me, his real name is Geoff."

The brunette couldn't help but chuckle hearing that Lambo had a basic name like 'Jeff', though it was possible it was spelled differently in a not so basic way. Looking down towards the Labrador puppy by her feet, happily yipping up at her, she smiled and bent down to pet him, giggling as he cuddled to her. Cooing to him she said, "You are so precious! I have to give you a name, don't I boy?"

Embry chuckled and asked, "What will you name him?"

Bella wasn't sure at the moment, just continued to pet the dog as she thought. As she stared down to where the puppy was, she noticed how a soft glow seemed to be in place of where the puppy was standing. In fact, the glow seemed to be that of an aura. Was she seeing the little dog's aura? It seemed so, especially when it began to flash between colors before finally settling on one. And the color it set on was gold, just like Jacob's.

It was so fascinating and wondrous to see that this little creature had an aura just like her best friend. To her, that meant he would be just like Jacob, and that had to be a good sign. Even so, she wasn't going to call the puppy 'Jacob'; she wasn't sure Jacob would appreciate that. Then again, maybe he would. But no, she wanted her new pet to have his own name, his own little identity. She thought for a while before smiling, a name coming to her instantly.

"Shadow. His name is Shadow," Bella announced.

Shadow yipped happily and licked Bella once more before beginning to tug on his leash attached to his harness, wanting to continue on to where they were going. Nodding to him she stood back up and continued walking with Embry, the two of them walking back to the Black residence with Shadow leading the way.

* * *

Billy watched Bella play with her new Labrador Retriever puppy, a fond smile on his face. She called the little tyke Shadow, a name he found to be rather fitting for the dog. Wherever Bella went inside the house, Shadow followed behind her. Even when she went to the bathroom, he would go with her in there as well. Shadow had acquainted himself with every inch of his home, every inch except for Jacob's room where his boy was still sleeping.

"Bella," Billy called gaining the brunette's attention. "Why don't you introduce Shadow to Jake?"

"But Jake's still sleeping," Bella responded.

"It's time for that boy to wake up. He's been asleep all day, and I think your pup will be a perfect wake-up call."

Bella wasn't sure what Billy was talking about but stood up nonetheless with Shadow in her arms. Turning she headed down the hallway, having been memorized the layout of the Black home now that she couldn't rely on her sight to do so, and soon made it to Jacob's room. Grabbing hold of the doorknob, she slowly opened the door and stepped inside. She briefly wondered if Jacob was awake, but soon got her answer when she was met with a rather loud snore.

 _He must be really tired to be snoring like that,_ Bella thought somewhat guiltily. Jacob wouldn't be this tired if he didn't have to be on patrol all the time to make sure she was safe. She was causing him and the Pack unnecessary trouble, but Jacob would just tell her that it wasn't her fault, even if she believed that it was. Walking towards his bed where he was sprawled upon it, Bella bent down slightly and whispered, "Jake. Jake, wake up."

Jacob didn't stir once. Bella frowned at his aura and reached a hand out, gently shaking him. The Shifter moaned lightly but otherwise, made no other sound or movement. Bella really didn't want to wake Jacob, but she did agree that Jacob probably has slept long enough today. She would let him sleep some more, but she wanted to have him at least eat something first. While contemplating on whether she should continue in her mission to wake her best friend up, Shadow hopped out of her arms and onto the bed, moving closer to Jacob's head. Reaching his face, Shadow looked at him for a moment before turning slightly and raising his hind leg, releasing a stream of urine onto Jacob's face.

"Gah!" Jacob exclaimed, sitting up quickly and wiping his face. Looking down at the puppy that was next to him, he let out another shout at realizing that the dog had peed on him.

Alarmed by Jacob's sudden shouting, Bella jumped and asked, "What is it?"

"That damn pup pissed on me!" Jacob answered in reply.

Shadow wagged his tail at Jacob and barked happily, pleased that he had gotten the man his mistress had been trying to awaken. Bella on the other hand snickered and covered her mouth with her hand, trying to not laugh out loud at Jacob's predicament, though a few giggles did slip through. Composing herself—she could feel Jacob glaring at her—she said, "Jake, meet Shadow, my new Labrador Retriever puppy."

Jacob stared at Bella before looking down at Shadow who had propped himself in his lap. Though he was still upset at how he had been woken up, he couldn't help but find Shadow to be adorable. Scratching him behind his ear he said, "We start potty training tomorrow, you little rascal."

As if understanding him, Shadow barked in reply before hopping down from the bed to run back to Bella. Bending down to pick the black puppy up, Bella said, "I'm going to start dinner soon, so get up for a bit."

As Bella turned and left his room with her new dog, Jacob couldn't help but shake his head. He couldn't believe that Shadow had had the audacity to pee on him, and on his face no less. He could hear Bella telling Billy how the puppy had gotten him to wake up, his father guffawing loudly in response. Shaking his head again, Jacob got out of his too small bed and headed to the bathroom, intent on washing his face thoroughly. However, he couldn't help but smile hearing Bella giggling happily as she played with Shadow.

* * *

Edward listened to Charlie walk around downstairs as he sat perched on Bella's bed in her room. He had been visiting Bella's room at her home every day since being handed that ridiculous restraining order by her father, believing that she would return one day for a visit. And every day, he was disappointed when she wouldn't come. Instead, Charlie would visit La Push to see his daughter. If he wasn't restricted by that damn Treaty, he would go see Bella himself. However, not only did the Treaty prevent him from doing so, so did Jacob Black.

He needed to figure out a way to get around that blasted wolf to talk sense into Bella. Screw the restraining order, as if it would really restrain him from seeing his love. All he had to do was bide his time for when Bella would leave the reservation. She couldn't possibly stay on there the entire summer. School would start again, and then she definitely couldn't avoid him then. But he shouldn't have to wait that long to see her.

Picking up her pillow, he held it to his nose and inhaled her sweet scent that was embedded in the material. He sighed blissfully as he did, Bella's intoxicating scent filling his senses. Yes, he was intoxicated with her, just like she was with him. He just needed to remind her of how much she loves him and wants him, how much she _needs_ him. Inhaling her scent once more, he placed the pillow back on the bed and quickly left Bella's room through the window, soon leaving the Swan household with no one the wiser. As he ran back to his home he thought, _Bella will be mine again. I just need to make her see that. I will bide my time for now but worry not Bella. We will be together once again._


	15. Chapter 15

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 15

Shadow had been living with his mistress and her companions for three weeks and already loved them all. He followed his mistress everywhere possible, helping her locate things and guiding her where she needed as her eyes. Everyday he accompanied her to the place she took him from, staying behind the counter with her or his previous master. Other times he would play with the dog toys while she was working. And at the end of the day, he happily got to walk her back home, and cuddle up to her on her bed at night. Shadow loved his mistress very much and vowed to protect her, even though he was just a young pup.

One thing Shadow noticed about his mistress was her camaraderie with her companion that she called 'Jake', the man he woke up for her on his first day in his new home. He could tell that they were mates, their pheromones mixing together in a nice way whenever they were close together. And yet, neither of them acted out on those pheromones. He found it strange his mistress and Jake did not act on their pheromones for each other, but he figured with them being mates, they would in time.

Currently he was sitting in his mistress's lap, traveling with her beyond their home in some sort of moving, rumbling contraption that Jake was steering. His mistress had told him that he would meet someone by the name of 'Charlie'. She claimed he was her father—was that another word for 'master'? He supposed he would find out soon enough and determine whether he liked him or not.

* * *

Bella scratched Shadow behind his ear softly before turning to look at Jacob, taking in his golden aura. Ever since she had been able to glimpse the outline of his face through his aura, she found herself staring at Jacob whenever she could. More times than not Jacob caught her doing it, but he never called her out on it. Personally, she believed her best friend liked her looking at him. And though she'd never admit it out loud, she liked looking at Jacob. He was very handsome, something she already knew, but now she could see his features again through his aura. But that wasn't the only reason she liked being around him. He was just so full of life and she loved being in his presence, about as much as he loved being in hers.

When she moved her gaze from Jacob down to her puppy, Jacob looked over at the brunette and smiled softly before asking, "Are you excited to see Charlie? You haven't seen him for a while."

"Yeah, I've really missed him, especially since he hasn't been able to come to La Push," Bella replied with a smile.

"Do you think he'll like Shadow?"

"I think so. And how could anyone not like my baby Shadow? He's so precious"

Jacob chuckled when Shadow yipped in response to Bella's words and wagged his tail. Nodding his head in agreement Jacob said, "Yes, Shadow is adorable. Not only that, he's potty-trained."

Bella snickered. "You're still mad about him peeing on you."

"He peed on my face while I was sleeping. It was warm and smelled horrible."

"It was an accident."

"He knew what he was doing. Luckily I nipped that in the bud real quick."

Bella let out a laugh, Shadow barking happily hearing his mistress' laughter. Jacob laughed along with his best friend, her laughter becoming infectious. He also took delight in how her face brightened and her chocolate brown eyes glittered with mirth. Before long they had made it to Forks and were driving down the road to the Swan household. Pulling into the driveway of the yellow house, Jacob parked the car and said, "The cruiser isn't here. Charlie must still be at work."

"Then let's just wait inside until he gets home; dad won't mind," Bella said before getting out of the car with Shadow in her arms. She allowed Jacob to help guide her to her front porch, though she had her white stick hanging from her wrist. Once on the porch, she started digging in her pocket for her house key when the door suddenly opened. There standing in front of them was Edward Cullen himself.

Upon seeing the familiar black aura, Bella gasped in surprise and backed away from him exclaiming, "Edward!"

Jacob growled at the sight of his enemy and spat, "What the actual fuck are you doing here?"

Edward glared at him momentarily before turning his attention back to the brunette that was cowering away from him. Reaching a hand out towards her he said, "Welcome home, my love."

He had been about to touch her, run his fingers through Bella's soft hair. However before he could, a growl coming from the girl's arms caught his attention. Seeing a black puppy, he frowned at it before the dog started barking at him, his hackles raised under his black coat and little teeth bared at him. The puppy began snapping at him as well and struggling out of Bella's hold, all the while barking and growling at him. Bella couldn't hold the dog and soon it had jumped out of her arms and onto the ground, barking, growling, and snapping at Edward.

Surprised at the sudden attack from the puppy, Edward backed into the Swan house, only for the puppy to run after him. He ran from the puppy, the puppy chasing him throughout the first level of the house before he decided to run outside into the yard past Bella and Jacob. Jacob smirked at Shadow as he stood on the porch with his legs spread apart, barking and growling at Edward while trying to be intimidating with his little teeth bared at him; it was honestly rather cute. Looking at the leech that he absolutely loathed Jacob said, "Get out of here, leech. You're not welcome here."

Feeling not as scared anymore with both Jacob and Shadow, Bella squared her shoulders and looked in Edward's direction. Staring right at his black aura she said, "Jake's right, Edward. You are no longer welcome in my house, on this property, and in my life. Go away and leave me alone, _for good_."

Edward stared at Bella with a surprised gaze before he schooled his expression. Shaking his head he said, "I can't leave you alone forever, Bella. We belong together, and I have no doubt we'll be together again. Until next time, my love."

The vampire disappeared after his spoken words, leaving the two teenagers and Labrador Retriever pup on the porch of the Swan residence. The moment he was gone, Bella let out a sigh of relief before bending down to pick up Shadow. Feeling his raised hackles, she rubbed his fur down before kissing the puppy on his head and saying, "Don't worry Shadow, he's gone now."

Shadow growled in his chest a bit before turning to lick Bella's cheek, giving her comfort as he could still sense her slight fear. Whoever that creature was, his mistress didn't like him, and he'd be sure to make sure he didn't come near his mistress again so long as he could help it.

Jacob wrapped an arm around Bella before gently ushering her inside. Once they were inside, Bella moved to the living room with Shadow while Jacob went to search the house, wanting to see if that leech had done anything while Charlie was gone and Bella was currently moved out. Though the leech's scent was all over the house, he found it particularly strong as he ascended the stairs. The smell got stronger as he neared Bella's bedroom. Opening her bedroom door, his nose was hit with the scent of Edward Cullen, the vampire's scent permeating the air. He couldn't believe it; that damn leech had been staying in Bella's room, or at least had been camping out here for a few hours a day. What a sick, twisted son of a bitch!

Not being able to stand the smell, Jacob went to the window and opened it as high as it would go, allowing the trapped vampire smell to escape. Going back downstairs, Jacob opened a few windows before taking a sea next to Bella on the couch. Wrapping an arm around her he said, "He's been camping out in your room up there. It's almost as if he's been waiting for you to return here."

A shiver went down the brunette's spine and she leant against Jacob, actively seeking his warmth and wanting to be as close to him as possible at the moment. Her head resting against his shoulder Bella said softly, "I can't believe he was here. I can't believe he was invading my personal space like that; I'm not even safe in my own home."

Though that was true and Jacob agreed with her, he had to remind her that she had allowed him to do so, even after finding out he had been sneaking into her room and watching her sleep and such. Bella sighed softly, knowing Jacob was right. She had allowed Edward to do that, allowing the boundaries to spread rather than restrict them. Now because of her not giving Edward any boundaries, he was coming and going in her home as he pleased, all the while without Charlie knowing. It was all her fault.

Sensing what she was feeling, Jacob held her close and kissed the top of her head before saying, "We'll deal with him soon, so don't worry. You're fully protected, and he won't hurt you; I won't let him."

"Thanks Jake," Bella replied softly. She looked over at Shadow from where he was perched on the arm of the couch. His little gold aura was shining and she smiled before clicking her tongue, calling him to her. As he bounded over to her and settled himself between her and Jacob, Bella scratched his head affectionately and said, "Thank you too for protecting me, Shadow."

Shadow licked Bella's hand in response, Bella laughing softly as he did. Jacob smiled at the two before reaching over to grab the remote, turning on the television that was currently playing _Gilligan's Island._ Both he and Bella turned their attention to the television, Shadow settling himself comfortably on Jacob's lap and watching the moving screen as well. Though the trouble had calmed down for them in that moment, Bella and Jacob couldn't help but feel that there was going to be more to come in the near future.


	16. Chapter 16

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 16

Following the sudden confrontation with Edward, as well as finding out he had practically been living in her empty bedroom, Bella had been more on edge than ever. She had acted natural when Charlie had come home later and stayed for dinner with him, even laughing and smiling as Charlie bonded with Shadow. But the moment they drove away back to La Push, she had fallen silent and was distractedly petting Shadow on his small head. She hadn't even wished Jacob 'goodnight' like usual when she went to bed, Shadow on her heels. Jacob cursed Edward to hell and back for shaking Bella.

Not only was Jacob aware of Bella's change in mood, Billy had taken notice of it as well. When Bella had left for work the following day with Shadow, he asked his son what was wrong with her. Upon Jacob telling him about their encounter with Cullen and learning that he had been camping out in her room waiting for her return, Billy hissed in anger and cursed under his breath. However, he did laugh heartily about the fact that the vampire had been chased in circles and outside by Shadow. He found it funny that a vampire was afraid of a small puppy. Jacob had suggested that Charlie possibly be moved to live on the Reservation with them, but Billy declined the idea. He believed there was no reason to involve Charlie and let him know what was going on, something Jacob disagreed with wholeheartedly. Charlie's daughter was in the middle of it and in danger with the leech stalking her; the man needed to know about it. Knowing his son wouldn't give up on that idea, Billy promised to revisit the discussion later.

"Seeing how Bella seems to be rather…melancholy, why don't you do something to cheer her up," Billy suggested.

Jacob frowned and asked, "How?"

"You're her best friend, son. I'm sure that whatever you do, she'll love it and she'll feel better and won't be thinking about Carlisle's boy anymore. Why don't you take her on a date?"

"I doubt Bella would see it as a date. She doesn't see me like that at all."

"You never know unless you try. Do you want some advice?"

Jacob thought for a moment before nodding. Just as he did, he knew just the person to talk to. Standing, Jacob told his father that he would see him later before leaving the house and heading towards the Phillips's house. He needed to talk to Randall or Ms. Opal, knowing they would help him out.

* * *

Ms. Opal looked up when she heard a knock on her door. Standing up from the couch where she was reading, she made her way to the door and opened it, smiling as she immediately recognized Jacob Black's aura. Greeting him she said, "Hello Jacob. What brings you here?"

"Hi, Ms. Opal. I was wondering if I could speak with you or Randall."

"Sure, dear. What about?"

"Bella."

Ms. Opal's eyes widened before she nodded and invited the young man inside. Closing the door behind him she went back to sit on the couch, seeing as Jacob had taken a seat there as well. Sitting down herself she asked, "So what about Bella would you like to talk about?"

Jacob hesitated for a moment, wondering how he could explain the situation without revealing any of the supernatural stuff. Finding a way to say it he said, "Bella and I had a run in with her ex and it has left her a bit shaken. I'm afraid she's going to draw into herself, and I want to do something to make her feel better."

"I see. Well, what is it that you would like to do for Bella?"

"I want to do something for her that will make her feel better, make her feel special. And she really is special, to me at least. Dad suggested I take her on a date, and well…I think I would like to do that. I know Bella doesn't see me like that, but I would like to regardless."

Ms. Opal smiled and nodded before saying, "I think Bella will think of it as a date by the end of it. And as for what you can do, Bella seems like a rather simple girl, so I doubt it will take much to impress and make her happy. If I were you, I'd just go with whatever your gut is telling you. And you know Bella better than you think you do; just do what seems right to you and Bella."

Jacob thought for a moment that that sounded rather cryptic of Ms. Opal, but also knew she had a point. He did know Bella better than he thought he did, he was just thinking too hard. Something simple in the way of the date he was going to take her on would definitely make her happy. But he also didn't want to make it too simple. And he already had a bit of an idea of what he wanted to do, it was just a matter of doing it without overthinking. With a concrete idea in his head, he stood and thanked Ms. Opal before leaving with the promise to visit her again soon, only with Bella.

The blind woman giggled as the boy left, shaking her head as she did. That Jacob Black really was something. He was a good young man and obviously head over heels for Bella, and she just knew Bella was a lucky girl to have him by her side. Now if only the girl could not be so dense with her feelings for Jacob, they could finally move past the obvious block in their relationship. Ms. Opal smiled softly as she picked up the book she was reading, running her fingers across the Braille letters as she picked up where she left off, all the while silently wishing Jacob luck.

* * *

Bella yawned as she sat behind the counter of the pet store. Lambo was currently stocking in the back and their last customer had left about thirty minutes ago. Lambo had trained her to use the cash register and ring customers up, something she had been hesitant to do at first being blind. But luckily for her and not to Lambo's surprise she picked it up rather quickly. She also stocked shelves with the help of Shadow and petted and cuddled the animals in the shop. All in all, she really liked her job, though she would get bored when it got slow like this. But at least she got paid every week.

Feeling tiny paws on her leg, Bella smiled and peered down at Shadow's little aura. Hearing him panting, she bent down and rubbed his head asking, "You want my attention, don't you?"

Shadow yipped in response, his little tail wagging excitedly at his mistress's smile. Bella laughed softly and picked the black Labrador puppy up, cuddling him to her and kissing his head. In turn, Shadow licked the brunette on her cheek and chin, happy that he was able to make her smile. The brunette cuddled Shadow a bit longer until she heard Lambo making his way from the back, hearing him curse softly from stubbing his toe cutting the corner too short. Smirking she called out, "You're going to have to stop doing that."

"I will when I widen the doorway," Lambo replied, walking up to the counter where she was seated.

"That's never going to happen, and you know it."

"I know, but it's a thought."

Bella rolled her eyes with a smile on her face, rubbing Shadow as she did. She listened to the clock tick on the wall, slowly counting down the time until she got off. She was positive she would be off in another hour, and then she and Shadow could go home. However, she also knew the walk back would occupy her mind about the events of what happened at Charlie's house. She still couldn't believe Edward had been there. Not only that, but that he had been staying in her room. She knew it was her fault for inviting him to begin with in the beginning of their relationship, but now their relationship was over. She also made it clear that he was no longer welcome near her or on her property, something she hoped he would take seriously. But with the way he was acting now, as well as his parting comment, she doubted that he would.

Thinking about the vampire caused her smile to fall from her face and she unconsciously held Shadow closer to her. The pup whined softly and nuzzled his mistress in comfort as he picked up on her change in emotion. She hadn't been quite the same since meeting with that foul-smelling creature. It seemed to have some sort of negative effect on his mistress, but she stood strong with the help of her unclaimed mate. Hopefully her mate would claim her soon and she would claim him as well.

As if he appeared out of thin air from Shadow's thoughts, Jacob entered the pet shop, greeting Lambo as he did. Jacob greeted Lambo before turning to Bella, laughing when the black pup jumped out of Bella's arms and ran to him, running around his feet happily and barking with joy at the sight of him. Bending down he picked Shadow up and allowed him to give him puppy kisses before facing Bella saying, "Hey Bells."

"Hi Jake," Bella replied with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"Well, I was hoping you'd like to leave early and go on a little outing with me. With the permission of Lambo, of course."

"What kind of outing?"

"You'll see when we get there." Jacob turned to face the pet shop owner. "Hey, is it alright if I take Bella? I know she still has another hour, but I'll make it up to you for taking her early."

Lambo shook his head and waved his hand. "Don't worry about it, Jacob. Bella is a fine worker and I don't mind letting her go an hour later. Go on, Bella. I'll clock you out for you."

Bella blinked for a moment before saying, "If you're sure…"

"I insist; go ahead."

Bella nodded and thanked Lambo, grabbing her white stick and extending it before moving from behind the counter. She followed Jacob out of the store and outside, Jacob carrying Shadow in front of her. Hearing a car door open she asked, "You drove?"

Grinning at her Jacob answered, "Yep, I sure did. Besides, it's more efficient than walking to where we're going." He gently took her hand and led her to the passenger side that he had opened, Shadow having jumped in the seat when he did. "After you, miss."

Bella giggled and climbed into the car, Shadow jumping in the driver's seat momentarily until his mistress was settled; then he got into her lap. Jacob closed the door behind her before moving to the driver's side, getting in and closing the door. Cranking the car, he put it in 'Drive' and drove away to their destination. The two of them spoke as Jacob drove, Bella feeling the rumbling of the car around her as they went. He told her that he visited Ms. Opal—keeping sure to not tell her why he was there—and that he promised her that he would bring her next time. Bella smiled and agreed to accompany him the next time he went to visit Ms. Opal. She also wanted to get to know Randall as well considering that was the first time she had met him.

Before long the car stopped and Jacob got out of the car. As he did Bella caught the scent of the ocean before the door was closed. The passenger door opened and Jacob was taking her hand and gently pulling her out of the car. Holding Shadow close she took a deep breath and indeed smelled the ocean again, hearing the waves crashing against the shore not too far away. Looking up at Jacob's aura she asked, "Are we at the beach?"

"Yeah, we are. We're here at First Beach," Jacob replied with a grin, closing the passenger door of this car behind the brunette. Still holding her hand, he began to lead her onto the beach, Bella feeling the change of the ground under her feet. She stumbled slightly in the sand but was easily held upright by her best friend. Shadow squirmed a bit in her hold, wanting to be put down. They stopped momentarily so she could put the Labrador pup on the ground, and Shadow took off in front of them, yipping and barking happily as he did. Soon Jacob stopped as they reached their destination on the beach, Bella stopping next to him. Grinning he said, "We're here."

Bella frowned. "Where?"

"A picnic for two; just me and you."

"Right here?"

"Yes, right here."

Jacob sat down on the blanket he had laid out with the food he had prepared, pulling the brunette down slowly as he did. When Bella was settled she reached her hand out to touch the objects that were in front of her, smiling as she felt the soft blanket, a paper plate, and a picnic wicker basket. Looking up at Jacob she asked, "You did all this?"

The Shifter smiled and nodded replying, "Yeah, I did. I know it's not much and probably not even original, but it was what I thought you might like and I wanted to do this for you. I know you haven't been feeling to great since running into that bastard Cullen, so I wanted to help raise your spirits somehow. So I thought of this picnic, and I hope you like it."

Bella smiled sweetly at Jacob before softly saying, "Thank you, Jake. This is really sweet of you. It's almost like…well, it's almost like a date."

"Would…would it be bad if I thought of it as such?"

There was a moment of silence, Bella clearly thinking about his question and how to answer. They hadn't even started the picnic, but she could already tell it was probably set up like they were on a date of sorts. And truthfully, she liked to think of it as such. She didn't understand why, but she was completely on board with the idea that this was a date Jacob had set up for them. And he basically told her that he thought of this moment as a date between them. But did she really want to consider this time together a date with Jacob? Even though she felt she had to think about it, she also knew that she already had her answer.

Smiling Bella answered, "Only if it is okay that I think this is a date as well."

Jacob stared at Bella for a moment in shock of her response before grinning brightly. Reaching across the picnic setup, he took hold of her hand and gave it a gently squeeze, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. Bella smiled and gave his hand a squeeze in return before asking him what it was that he had prepared for them. As Jacob pulled the food out of the wicker basket and they began eating, Shadow watched them from where he was perched on the side of the blanket. He barked happily when Jacob opened a can of dog food he had packed and set it in front of him to enjoy. As he dug in, he watched his mistress and her mate intently, hoping this was the first of many times his mistress' mate showed his obvious love for her.

The two teenagers sat, ate, and talked together, enjoying each other's time and company with one another. It was their first date together, even though it had to be determined to each other that it was alright to think of it as such. Jacob felt happy seeing Bella's face light up as she talked with him and laughed, his heart fluttering as he gazed at the object of his affections. He figured at some point he should let his feelings be known, even if Bella already had an idea about them. Bella found herself completely immersed in Jacob as they had their picnic date, realizing for the moment that she probably really did like Jacob as more than her best friend. Because if she didn't, she wouldn't think of this moment together as a date. And yet she was right now. She was on an impromptu date with Jacob; impromptu for her because of its suddenness, while Jacob himself prepared for it. It was a moment she knew that she was going to remember it forever, even if she couldn't see it physically. It was a special moment for her, and it was because of the boy—no, man—in front of her. Jacob had thought enough of her and cared for her enough to take her on a date, a date that he made himself, and she realized that Edward had never done something like this when she had been dating him. It made her realize that maybe Jacob…maybe Jacob was more special to her than she realized.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Sorry, this chapter is up so late. I've been working and my hours flip sometimes, and I've been really tired. I also apologize that this chapter probably isn't what it could be, but I thought a chapter of Jacob wanting to take Bella on a date would be cute, as well as Bella realizing Jacob is probably more to her than she thought. Anyway, I hope you all find this chapter a bit interesting and stay tuned for more later. Love, SehunsBae37.**


	17. Chapter 17

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 17

Ever since her impromptu date with Jacob, Bella had been unable to get him out of her mind. It was as if all she could think about was him every minute of every day. It actually scared her a little, because the last time this happened, she had been obsessed with Edward and discovering his secret, thus getting herself wrapped up in things she had no business being in. However, her thinking of Jacob wasn't like that, wasn't obsessive. Jacob had nothing to hide from her, and his appeal and allure wasn't mysterious in the slightest. He was an open book to her, a book that she found herself wanting to read again and again, while Edward had been a book she forced herself into and couldn't get out of, getting caught up completely without seeing the ending.

However, Bella knew that Jacob was nothing like Edward. They were nothing alike in the slightest. Whereas Edward seemed to outshine her in an almost negative aspect, Jacob—though he shined too—allowed her to shine in her own way and didn't hold her back, didn't make her feel insecure about herself. She didn't think she could find anyone else like Jacob, romantic interest or platonic relationship. Well, Angela maybe, but she and Jacob were different, and not just because they were opposite sexes. But above all, she found herself wanting to be with Jacob every day, which was funny considering they were living together for the time being.

Time continued to go on, the summer flying by faster than she could believe it. She and Jacob spent a lot of time together on and off the Reservation. Shadow was Bella's little shadow, following her around and being the perfect little guard dog that he was. The black Lab had also been growing, his growth brought to her attention by Jacob upon him playing with him one day while she took a nap. He wasn't much bigger than he had been when Lambo gifted him to her, but Shadow had been growing. Things had seemingly been normal for Bella and Jacob, though they couldn't deny that the summer was coming to a close soon and the new school year was going to start again. And because of this knowledge, it had Bella wondering and worrying if she was going to have to move back into her home with Charlie soon. Not to say she didn't want to, because she definitely missed seeing her dad every day, but she was just worried that it would be easy access for Edward to get to her again, especially knowing he had been in her bedroom since living in La Push following their breakup.

Bella figured if she kept dwelling on it, it would drive her insane. Therefore, she decided to shelve the issue for the moment and focus on the now. And the now for her at the moment, was her, Jacob, and Shadow. Besides, it wasn't like her problems could get any worse than Edward.

* * *

Victoria ran through the woods of La Push, running away from those stupid, overgrown dogs that were chasing her. The red one seemed real intent on catching her, for whatever reason she did not know. Feeling them gaining up on her, she ran for a tree and ran up it, doing a backflip over the four wolves chasing her, and landed on her feet before turning and running back the way she came. She smirked hearing the wolves slide to a stop before chasing after her again, their annoyance present in their growls.

As she kept running, her red eyes landed on a little red house with a small wheelchair ramp. It smelled just like those wretched wolves the closer she got, meaning one of them obviously lived there. However as she reached the edge, she stopped suddenly catching a glimpse of a familiar brunette head in the window. Looking inside she saw that the brunette was holding up a black puppy, cuddling and cooing at it while the little furball wagged its tail happily and licked her face. She turned her head to the side towards the window, giving Victoria a clear view of her face. It was none other than that stupid wretch, Bella fucking Swan.

 _She hangs out with these wolves? How interesting,_ Victoria couldn't help but wonder. _And she has her own little guard puppy dog; how cute. It's not going to keep her from me, though. I just need to bide my time._

Growling reached her ears and Victoria turned her head, seeing the four wolves running after her. Turning to her left she took off running again, allowing them to chase her through the woods once again until she reached a cliff overlooking the sea. Looking behind her once more, she saw the large red one bounding towards her quickly, a rather intense look in his large eyes. Deciding not to dawdle any longer, she jumped off the cliff and into the rolling waves below, disappearing in the water as the wolves stopped at the cliff above.

* * *

 _"Damn it! She got away again!"_ Jacob shouted, stomping his large paw on the ground in frustration.

Paul scratched the ground in anger as well, his snout pulled back in a horrible snarl. He couldn't believe that the damn redhead kept getting away from them. And they would get so close every single time, and yet she still got away. Huffing he said, _"We have to figure out how she keeps getting away, and then we can create a strategy to catch her."_

Sam sighed and said, _"Well, we won't do that just standing around here. She's gone for the time being, so we'll regroup about her later. I'm going on patrol right now; Paul, you're with me. Embry, go home and rest. And Jacob, I'm not sure if you noticed, but the redhead seemed particularly interested in your house not too long ago. I want you to figure out why. We can't have her close to any of our homes and our loved ones."_

Jacob nodded and the four of them dispersed, Jacob on his way home for a shower and to rest for a bit. Of course, he did wonder what that vamp was so interested about at his house to be dwelling at the edge of the woods. Unless…unless she was interested in Bella. But that couldn't possibly be the reason. Bella would have no reason to know that red haired vampire…would she?

* * *

Bella smiled happily as she cuddled Shadow to her on the couch, loving the time she was spending with her puppy. The black lab panted happily, licking her chin and cheeks as his tail wagged. Hearing the front door open she looked up and smiled seeing that it was Jacob coming home. Looking into his aura of what she now knew to be the general direction of his face, she greeted, "Hi Jake."

"Hey Bells," Jacob replied, smiling at how her face was lit up as she smiled at him. However, he couldn't help but wonder if she knew anything about the rogue vampire that they were chasing, and why she was sticking around the Forks/La Push area. Did Bella have anything to do with it? He wasn't putting the blame on his best friend, not at all, but Bella was the only normal human that new about the Cullens' true nature. It wasn't much of a stretch if she knew other vampires around because of her former association with that family of leeches.

Deciding to just bite the bullet, he walked over to the brunette and black puppy dog, taking a seat next to them before saying, "Bella, I need to tell you something."

Immediately feeling something wrong, Bella frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"No, I'm fine; don't worry about me. I just need to tell you about what the Pack and I have been doing lately and ask you a question in regard to it. I'm only doing so because Sam said something earlier that had me thinking. But just know that I'm not blaming you for anything, okay?"

Bella stared at Jacob's golden aura for a moment in silence before slowly saying, "Okay…tell me what it is."

Jacob nodded and recounted how he and the Pack have been tracking down the redheaded vampire, chasing her practically every day and her evading them at every turn, no matter how close they got to catching her. He also told her about the chase earlier that day and how the redhead seemed to linger at the edge of the wood and stare at his home before taking off again. As he spoke Jacob noticed that Bella's brown eyes widened and her expression took on a look of absolute fear. She held Shadow closer to her in a tighter grip—not enough to hurt him, though—as if seeking sudden comfort from his tiny furry body. When he finished talking Bella couldn't help but ask, "You've been chasing Victoria? She's still around?"

Surprised at hearing that the brunette knew the leech's name, he was even more surprised to hear her say 'still around'. Frowning Jacob asked, "You know this leech? And what do you mean that she's "still around"?"

"I…yes," Bella answered quietly to the first question. She swallowed hardly as she continued saying, "I first met her when I went with the Cullens to play baseball. She showed up with two other vampires, Laurent and her mate James. The Cullens were going to allow them to play with us, but James caught the smell of my scent and tried to attack me, but I was protected by Edward and the others. Because of this, it prompted a hunt after me. James had the ability to track and he loved the hunt, causing the Cullens to protect me and me to run away for a while. But James eventually tracked down where I was and made a plot to lure me away from Alice and Jasper. He made me think he kidnapped my mother, but he hadn't. He almost killed me and even bit me, but Edward, Carlisle, and the rest all made it to me in time. Edward sucked out the venom as the others killed James, and I passed out. The next thing I knew, I was in the hospital and I was blind."

Jacob stared at Bella in disbelief before running a hand down his face. He stared at her for a moment before asking, "What about Victoria and Laurent?"

"Laurent was the one to tell us about James tracking ability and that he wouldn't stop until he caught me. He also told us to not underestimate Victoria either, and that she had the power of evasion."

"That explains why we can't catch her. And you said that she was this James's mate?" At Bella's nod, Jacob hissed in frustration, "Damn it!"

Bella frowned. "What?"

"The redhead isn't leaving because she's after you, Bella. She wants to kill you as revenge for the Cullens killing her mate because of you. I can't believe those damn goody-goody leeches didn't tell you that was a possibility."

Bella felt her blood run cold at Jacob's words. Not only was Victoria still around, she was still around trying to get to her because of James. Even though she wasn't with Edward anymore, that didn't mean Victoria knew that. Thus, she believed that she'd still be killing Edward's "mate". And now the Pack would know why she was still lurking around Forks and now La Push. Victoria knew she was here! With all of this realization hitting her at once, Bella's breathing began to quicken and her heartbeat started to sound rather loud in her ears.

Shadow, having picked up on the intense emotions coming from his mistress and her mate, whined and rubbed his head against her, wanting to provide her with comfort. But unfortunately, it wasn't working. Jacob, seeing Bella was on the verge of hyperventilating, gently grabbed hold of her face and said, "Honey, calm down. You're having a panic attack. Calm down, honey. I'm right here."

Taking in deep breaths, Bella looked at Jacob's aura, his facial features coming into view once more like they had that time before. Her heartbeat slowed and she came down from her panic as she took in Jacob's features, looking at his face after so long of not seeing it. He was giving her so much comfort, even though she knew Victoria being around and him and his Pack chasing her was her fault. But she couldn't help herself and leant against him, hugging him close to her as he did the same. Tears filled her eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks as she buried her face into his strong, bare shoulder.

Taking in a shuddering breath she whispered, "I'm sorry. Victoria's still around and it's all my fault."

Shaking his head Jacob replied softly, "No, no it's not, honey. Don't blame yourself, it's not your fault." To him, it was the Cullens fault, but he wasn't going to say so right now, not while Bella was distressed. Though she wanted nothing more to do with Edward, she still had respect for the rest of their clan.

Placing a gentle kiss on top of her head he said, "Just let me handle this, Bells. Don't worry about it, and I promise I'll protect you, no matter what."

Bella closed her eyes as more tears fell down her cheeks, taking a deep breath and nodding slightly. She held onto Jacob tightly, not wanting to let go of him for anything and just wanting to be wrapped up in him forever. Everything in her life always seemed to go to shit, but the one good thing in her life was Jacob, and she didn't want to lose him ever.


	18. Chapter 18

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 18

When Jacob had informed the Pack about the reason why the redhead they were chasing was still lingering around, the Pack was very upset about it. Jared and Paul both agreed that if the Cullens hadn't returned and Bella hadn't become involved with them, then they wouldn't be chasing after Victoria while she was after Bella. However, Emby and Quil both said that that didn't matter anymore and that their priority now was to not only protect their lands and try to catch Victoria, but to also protect Bella now that she was living in La Push, especially now that she knew where Bella was currently living. Sam agreed as well and thus Jacob ordered guarding patrols around the Black home, even putting them in place the moment Bella moved back home with Charlie. And though Paul was greatly reluctant, he and the others did as told nonetheless.

Bella, now with the knowledge that Victoria was still around and the reason why, had begun to worry about not only her own safety, but that of Jacob's and the Pack's. She knew Jacob didn't blame her for the fact that they were still trying to catch the cunning vampire, but she blamed herself. Even though she no longer associated with the Cullens, because she had Victoria was out to get her to avenge James. She was walking disaster, but Jacob reassured her that everything was going to be fine. Needing to believe him, Bella would trust him and instead concentrate on her work or spending time with Shadow. She never really left the Reservation anymore, but she decided that today she would go into Forks and pay not only Charlie a visit, but Angela as well. But first, she wanted to stop by Ms. Opal's place and visit her for a while. Though she had no way to get there because Jacob was currently gone and Billy was visiting Harry, Bella figured that she would just have to walk.

Grabbing her white stick, Bella whistled for Shadow and the black puppy bounded towards her, tail wagging happily at being able to leave with his mistress; it wasn't like she didn't allow him to tag along anyway. Opening the front door of the Black residence, she was surprised to see the green aura she recognized as Embry in front of her. Smiling she greeted, "Hey Embry."

"Hey Bella," Embry replied. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Your aura."

"Ah, right. You can tell like Ms. Opal can. Were you headed somewhere?"

"Yes, I was headed to go see Ms. Opal, actually. Do you want to tag along?"

"Sure thing. Besides, Jake asked me to check on you anyway while he was gone."

Bella nodded and stepped out of the house, closing and locking the door with the spare key Billy had given her before walking beside Embry with her moving her white stick back and forth on the ground in front of her. Shadow trotted along beside Bella happily, tongue hanging out of his mouth as he did. As they walked, they talked about this and that, Embry telling Bella that Sam and Jacob have had to come up with multiple strategies to try and corner Victoria now that they knew she had the power of evasion. Hopefully one of them would work and they could catch her before she got away again. Not for the first time, Bella apologized for causing the mess that they were in, but Embry brushed it off and told her not to worry about it, confident that they would catch Victoria and they could all go on peacefully with their lives.

They walked along the road to the Phillips' home until finally reaching it fifteen minutes later. Stepping up the porch, Embry lifted his fist and knocked on the door, he and Bella waiting patiently for someone to answer the door. They both heard Randall's voice call out for them to wait a moment, and not long after he opened the door. Nodding at them he greeted, "Hello Embry, hello Bella. I imagine you're here to see Opal."

Nodding Bella replied, "Yes, we are. Is she here?"

"She is, but I don't think now is a good time."

Frowning Embry asked, "Is something wrong?"

Before Randall could answer, Ms. Opal's voice called, "Randall, who's at the door?"

Ms. Opal stepped into view and Embry thought she looked a little under the weather. Bella took in her blue aura and noticed it looked a bit more vibrant than usual, particularly around her midsection. Wondering what that was about but not wanting to outright ask, Bella smiled and greeted, "Hi, Ms. Opal."

Smiling Ms. Opal replied, "Hello Bella, hello Embry. Please come inside."

As Bella and Embry stepped inside, Randall asked his wife what she was doing out of bed. Though he was saying it lowly, both Embry and Bella heard him ask Ms. Opal that question, as well as stating that the doctor told her to rest as much as possible. Hearing that caused Bella to frown in concern. _What's wrong with Ms. Opal?_ she couldn't help but wonder.

Thanking her husband for his concern but insisting she was fine, Ms. Opal sat down on the couch next to Bella and said, "It's good to see you, Bella; you too, Embry."

Shadow looked up at the woman before yipping and jumping up into her lap. His sudden presence to Ms. Opal surprised her, but she just giggled and petted him, greeting him while Bella told her his name. Bella looked up towards Randall when she heard him seeming shuffle back, noticing his silver aura was a bit further back than previous. Ms. Opal smiled at her husband and said, "Randall, he's a puppy. He won't hurt you, especially if he's Bella's dog."

"Opal, you know I'm afraid of dogs," Randall replied, causing Ms. Opal to laugh. To save himself anymore embarrassment, Randall excused himself and went to his and Ms. Opal's bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Shaking her head Ms. Opal said, "He'll get over it, don't worry. So what brings you here?"

"Bella wanted to visit and I decided to tag along," Embry said, rubbing Shadow's head as the Lab pup made his way to Embry's lap.

"Oh, that's so nice of you. Bella, has there been any progress with you and Jacob?"

Blushing heavily Bella stammered out, "W-We're just f-friends! There is no p-progress to speak about."

"I smell that lie heavily, Bella. Tell me the truth, and Embry won't repeat this conversation to Jacob. Will you, Embry?"

The pointed look the blind woman gave Embry made him immediately nod, promising to not repeat the conversation to Jacob. Though, he couldn't help it if Jacob saw it in the Pack mind.

Ms. Opal nodded and turned back to Bella, waiting patiently for her to speak. Bella bit her bottom lip for a moment before finally saying, "Well, we um, we've already had a…first date. But we haven't gone on one since then. I know Jake has feelings for me; I mean, it's not like he hides it. And…and I think I'm starting to like him like that as well. Or rather, I may already like him like that and am just realizing it. He's…he's all I think about sometimes, and he just makes my day and makes me happy just from seeing him or knowing he's right there. Being with Jake is so easy, so natural. When I was with my ex, I don't think I've ever felt like that before."

Embry was surprised to hear exactly how Bella felt about his friend, considering she never really said while Jacob would always say. Hearing that she basically returned Jacob's feelings made him smile and want to go tell his friend but knew he couldn't because he promised Ms. Opal. And he refused to break a promise to the kind woman.

Grinning brightly at the brunette's words, Ms. Opal took Bella's hands in hers and asked, "You know what this means, don't you?" At Bella's silence she continued. "You have to let Jacob know how you feel. He can't keep wondering forever, honey. You have to let him know."

"But I don't know if I'm ready to do that yet."

"I didn't mean now, I just meant when you were ready. But if he loves you and you love him, then I think you should let him know that."

Bella blushed deeper than she already had. "I didn't say that I loved him."

Ms. Opal gave Bella a deadpan look. "Bella."

Embry couldn't help but chuckle as Bella ducked her head. Ms. Opal laughed and gave the young girl's hand a gentle pat. Bella looked up at the woman's aura again, once again taking notice that her midsection seemed brighter than the rest of her. Deciding to change the subject off her, Bella asked, "Are you feeling alright, Ms. Opal? Randall sounded as if you are sick."

"Yes, I'm alright. I am sick you could say, but nothing bad."

"Is that why your aura is a bit brighter around your midsection?"

Smiling Ms. Opal nodded and took Bella's hand, placing it over her stomach before saying, "We found out that I'm pregnant last week. Randall and I are going to have a baby."

Both Embry and Bella looked at Ms. Opal in shock before congratulating her, giving her hugs as they did. Ms. Opal thanked them and continued to tell them that it was a surprise, considering they couldn't conceive years before when they really wanted children. She told them that her and Randall had become content with the fact that they wouldn't ever have kids, but felt blessed to finally be having one, even if they were just forty-one and forty-two. Bella told her that they would be fantastic parents and she couldn't wait to meet the baby when it finally arrived. Embry went on to say that he was going to spread the happy news with Jacob and Quil and they'd have a celebration, prompting Bella to propose a small party to celebrate the good news. Ms. Opal told them that she didn't need to do that, but Bella insisted while promising to hash out the details later. It wasn't long before it was time for Bella to go and visit her father, and her and Embry bid Ms. Opal 'goodbye' and they and Shadow left the Phillips' home.

* * *

Alice gasped as she was struck with a vision before grabbing her head as if in pain. Jasper gently took his mate's shoulders into his hands before asking, "Alice, what is it? What do you see?"

The Seer was quiet for a moment before finally saying, "Bella is going to visit Charlie, but it's hazy because she has one of those wolves with her."

"Okay, but that's good right? She's going to visit her father, nothing wrong with that."

"Yes, it wouldn't be if…"

Jasper frowned. "If what?"

Amber eyes looked into equally amber eyes before Alice said, "If Edward wasn't going to intercept them. And though I can't see much, I know it's not going to be good when he does."


	19. Chapter 19

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 19

Embry drove his Billy's truck that he borrowed towards Forks on the way to the Swan house. Bella sat in the passenger seat with Shadow resting on her lap, her lightly stroking his little head. She and the Shifter talked as they made their way out of La Push and onto the road to lead to Forks. Bella was still elated about the news Ms. Opal had shared with them and was wondering what details she needed to hash out and make permanent. Embry told her encouragingly that she would figure it out, all the while making certain that he and the other Pack members would contribute the food. At the mention of that, Bella laughed and said, "Then you guys better make sure you bring enough and then some. With the way you boys eat, no one will be able to go back for seconds."

"Noted," Embry replied with a smile. "Also…do you think that Angela might want to come to the celebration?"

Bella smiled and replied, "I can ask her if she wants to come. Though, I should tell you that she has a boyfriend."

Embry was silent for a moment before saying, "That's alright. If anything, I just want to be her friend. And if she has someone that she's happy with, then I can respect that. I wouldn't want to do anything to ruin her happiness with someone else."

"You really are a sweet guy, Embry."

The Shifter blushed and smiled at the brunette's words, though she could not see it. He turned the truck to round the bend in the road about three miles away from Forks' town limits when something suddenly slammed into the front of the truck on the driver's side. Bella screamed as Embry shouted in surprise, the truck being knocked from the road and off onto the side, spinning as it did before finally slamming into a tree. The sound of the truck crunching was heard, as well as the shattering of glass from the windows. Though the impact was very harsh, Bella felt almost none of it as Embry had reached over and wrapped his arms around her, protecting her body from most of what had happened. And as for Shadow, Bella was holding him tightly to her chest, so he too was alright.

Panting Embry asked, "Are you alright, Bella?"

Bella didn't answer at first, but she then looked up at Embry's green aura and answered shakily, "Y-Yeah, I'm okay. W-What was that?"

Before Embry could answer, the truck was jerked away from the tree it had slammed into and was spun around. Both Embry's and Bella's eyes widened at who it was that had attacked them, Bella taking in that dark, evil aura. It was Edward! Gasping in fear, Bella held Shadow close as he began to growl and bark at the sight of the vampire.

Embry growled and kicked the driver's side door open, the door flying off of the truck before he got out of it. Once he was facing Jacob he growled out, "The fuck, man?!"

"Give Bella to me," Edward said simply.

"Like hell I will!"

"Do it now, or suffer the consequences, Embry Call."

Bella looked towards Embry's aura and saw it grow bigger, the sound of clothes ripping and animalistic growling filling the air, the sounds alerting her that the kind boy had phased on the spot. Realizing what was about to happen, she shouted, "Embry, don't!"

Edward stared at the grey black spotted wolf snarling at him before his dark amber eyes narrowed. "So be it, then."

"Edward, no!"

Edward went to charge Embry, ready to fight him and Embry doing the same. However before he could, he was suddenly tackled, rolling into the wooded area on the side of the road and pinned to the ground. Looking up at his attacker, he was surprised to see that it was Jasper that had tackled him and was forcing him down, keeping him from moving. Alice was also present as well, though she was standing in front of Embry with her arms out to the sides, like she was keeping him from pouncing.

Hearing Edward's struggles but not Embry's, Bella reached out towards the car door handle, all while holding Shadow tightly to her. Grabbing hold of it, she pulled on it and tried to open the truck door, only to find it jammed from Edward's assault. She slammed her shoulder into it, grunting as she did in an attempt to get out of the truck, but could not make it budge. After slamming her shoulder into it a few more times, she huffed and gave up trying as Shadow whimpered in her arms. When she decided to escape the truck from the driver's side, the passenger door was pulled away from the truck and cold hands grabbed hold of her.

Feeling the cold touch Bella began to thrash, Shadow growling and barking again as she did. She only stopped though when she heard Rosalie's voice say in a calming voice, "Bella, it's okay. It's just me, Rosalie."

"Rosalie?" Bella whispered out, looking at Rosalie's aura in front of her. The blonde vampire's aura was dark around the edges, but it was mostly a mix of blue and red; not at all purple though the red and blue were intertwined. Seeing those colors, despite the slight darkness around the edges, calmed Bella and she allowed Rosalie to help her out of the destroyed truck. Once she was out, she looked around seeing Embry standing with a purple aura surrounded by darkness. Looking over she saw Edward's black aura with another dark aura, this one black as well with tones of red, but not as black as Edward's.

Seeing the brunette stare at the sight before her, though knowing she could not see it at all outside of what she had heard, Rosalie said, "Alice and Jasper are here. Alice had a vision Edward would try something on your way to see Charlie, so we made sure to intervene."

Alice looked away from Embry towards Bella and asked, "Are you alright, Bella?"

Bella looked at the purplish aura that was Alice and simply nodded, not knowing what to say to her. She looked over to where she could hear Edward struggling against Jasper and said, "Thank you, Jasper."

"You're welcome," Jasper replied, his Southern drawl coming through his speech. He looked down as Edward attempted to buck him off and simply took his head in his hand and slammed it into the ground, Edward grunting from the impact.

Embry growled at Alice and indicated for her to move out of the way before heading towards Bella. Looking at her he nudged his snout against her shoulder, letting her know he was there. Bella smiled at him and Shadow yipped happily at him before turning back to Rosalie and growling, though not doing much else seeing as the creature helped his mistress. Rosalie stared at the puppy in amusement as Bella quietly shushed him before turning her attention towards Edward. Angry at what he had done she hissed out, "Are you crazy, Edward?! You almost killed us! What were you thinking?!"

Edward, surprised at the absolute hate coming from his beloved's mouth as well as the fury burning in her unseeing eyes, he said in a soothing voice, "My aim wasn't to kill you, Bella. I simply wanted to get your attention."

"By knocking us off the road?! What is wrong with you?!"

"You weren't hurt."

"It doesn't matter! Edward, I've made it clear to you that I want nothing to do with you! I want you out of my life! Leave me the hell alone!"

It was silent for a moment before Edward said seriously, "I can't do that, love. I won't; in fact, I refuse to. You and I belong together and we _will_ be together again. This, I can promise you, whether you like it or not."

His tone of voice held such a sinister note in it, Bella gasped and began to violently shake in fear. Rosalie glared at the mind-reading vampire while Alice looked at her favorite brother disapprovingly. He was scaring Bella, and it wouldn't do to scare her if he was trying to win her back. Turning towards Bella, she took a step towards her, only to stop at Embry's growl. Biting her lip she said, "Bella, Edward doesn't mean it the way he's said it. Don't misinterpret what he means, he only says it out of love. Wouldn't you mind giving yourselves another chance?"

"Like hell she will," Jacob's voice suddenly said from behind them.

Turning around, Bella was filled with elation at seeing Jacob standing there. Putting Shadow on the ground she ran into his arms, hugging him tightly as she cried in relief, "Jacob!"

Jacob hugged Bella back and placed a kiss on her forehead before saying, "Sorry I'm late, honey. I only just saw what happened and rushed to get here."

"It's okay. I'm just glad that you're here," Bella said softly, feeling safe and secure in Jacob's embrace.

Jacob smiled down at Bella before looking at the others with them. He nodded at Embry before saying to the Cullens, "Get lost. Take that no good son of a bitch with you and leave Bella the fuck lone. I understand what happened today so I'll let it be for what it is, but Bella has made it clear she wants nothing to do with you lot, so leave her alone now." He then turned his attention towards Edward. "And as for you, I swear to God if you come near Bella again and cause harm to her in any way, I will kill you."

Edward glowered at Jacob. "Don't you dare threaten me."

"It's not a threat, it's a promise."

Rosalie, taking that as her cue to leave, bid Bella 'goodbye' and took off, Jasper following after forcing Edward off of the ground and taking him along with him. Alice lingered for a bit and looked at Bella pleadingly, as if trying to convey to her to consider what she had said before taking off, all the while knowing Bella could not see her expression.

Once the vampires were gone, Bella let out a sigh of relief and sagged against Jacob, feeling Shadow rub against her leg in comfort. She heard some shuffling noises before hearing Embry say, "Sorry about your dad's truck, Jake."

"It's alright, Em," Jacob replied. "Once I tell him what happened, he'll understand. And thanks for protecting Bella." At Shadow's bark, he chuckled and added, "And Shadow."

Embry smiled and nodded before stating that he was going to go home and get a change of clothes, seeing as he ripped his in the confrontation with Edward. Jacob nodded and told him that he had to call Billy to tell him about what happened anyway. As Embry left, Bella said softly, "He's not going to stop. Edward, he's not going to leave me alone."

Jacob held the girl close and said, "He will if he knows what's good for him."

"Didn't you hear what he said? He said, 'whether I like it or not'. And his aura…it turned darker than I've ever seen it. I'm…I'm scared, Jake. I'm so scared and I don't know what to do."

Tears had unwillingly filled her eyes and she buried her face in Jacob's bare chest, her tears slipping down her face. Seeing his mistress distressed Shadow whimpered and whined, raising up on his hind legs to put his front paws on her leg, looking up at her in concern. Jacob continued to hold Bella, providing her comfort and lightly shushing her to sooth her frazzled nerves. Even though he was comforting the brunette, his eyes were blazing in hate and fury. He couldn't believe that stupid vampire had the audacity to attack the truck Bella and Embry were in, knowing good and well he could have ended up hurting Bella, or worse: killing her. And he claimed to love her. He was going to kill Edward Cullen if it was the last thing her ever did, he promised himself that. No one messed with his honey without suffering the consequences.

Rubbing Bella's back until her crying quieted down to soft sniffles, Jacob pulled back a bit and looked at her before saying, "Hey, no more crying, Bells. I'll deal with that creep, don't you worry. As for now, let's just call Billy and let him know his truck is totaled. Then we'll call a taxi and head on over to Charlie's, okay?"

"Okay," Bella replied softly, a small smile on her face. "I still do want to see dad, anyway."

"Alright, then we've got a plan." Jacob grinned before pulling his cell phone out of his shorts pocket and dialing his dad, readying himself to relay the news of what just happened and the state of his truck.

As Bella waited and listened to Jacob talk to Billy, she couldn't help but wonder if things were about to get a lot worse than they already were concerning Edward. From the look of things, it seemed like it certainly would. But even so, she was glad that her eyes were finally open to Edward's true nature, and not the one he had dazzled her with. Edward was dangerous, he was deadly, and if she wasn't careful, he would kill her. Or worse, turn her into a vampire.


	20. Chapter 20

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 20

Shadow watched his mistress sleep soundly on the couch of her sire, keeping careful watch over her while her sire and mate were gone from the house. It had been a week since their encounter with that dreadful creature and his mistress had been sick with worry about the creature's next move. Her mate would always reassure her though, which he found admirable. He really liked his mistress's mate and was still waiting for him to claim her. Their pheromones for each other permeated the air drastically when they were together, so he didn't understand what the hold up was. But that didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was making sure his mistress was safe.

Bella shifted a bit in her sleep before settling back down, snuggling more under the blanket that was covering her small frame. Shadow moved from his position near the television to sit before her, watching her relaxed face as she dreamed. This was the second day that they had been in this house, as his mistress had moved back in with her sire, and from his understanding it was because of the summer being over and fall coming. And her mistress went to some place called 'school' in the fall, whatever a 'school' was. He didn't understand why she couldn't go to it and still live with her mate and his sire; it would be better than being in reach of that filthy creature after her.

Speaking of filthy creature, a nasty smell reached his little nose, causing Shadow to growl as his hackles raised. The smell was too strong, and it was inside of the house. A creature was inside of his mistress's sire's home, _uninvited._ Growling more, Shadow stood on his small paws in a protective stance, making sure to keep his mistress protected.

Having been woken up by her puppy's growls, Bella sat up slightly and asked, "Shadow, what's wrong? What is it?"

A growl was her response, but not at her. Bella frowned as she listened to her puppy's growls, recognizing them as the growls when he feels threatened or she is threatened. And so far, he had only reacted that way in the presence of a vampire. As that thought occurred to her, Bella felt her heart freeze in fear momentarily in her chest before it began to beat quickly. Gripping the blanket in her fists she called out in a shaky voice, "Who's there?"

A cold hand touched her shoulder, causing Bella to let out a scream as Shadow began to bark and growl like crazy. There was a yelp of surprise before the voice of Alice said, "Bella, please call him off! I'm just here to talk, I swear! Please, make your dog stop!"

Bella, though not particularly knowing what it was that Shadow was doing to Alice, called the little Lab to her and felt him jump in her lap before turning her head. Facing the purple and black aura, Bella panted a bit to calm herself from being scared previously before asking, "What are you doing here, Alice? And uninvited, might I add?"

Alice looked at the brunette that was glaring at her, despite not being able to physically see her, and said, "I just came to talk about what happened the other day."

"I don't want to talk about it. I was there, I know what happened."

"But Bella, you have to understand that Edward didn't mean it. He didn't mean what he did or what he said. He just really wants to work things out with you; he loves you so much."

Bella scoffed before saying, "I can't believe that you're justifying his reckless behavior. He's stalking me, Alice. I have a restraining order against him and everyone in town knows it, but because he and you are vampires, he gets an easy pass to get around it. I want him to leave me alone and he won't. I want nothing more to do with him, but now I'm in fear of my life because of him. I wish I had never gotten involved with him, but I allowed myself to be swept up. But now I can clearly see what Edward, you, your family, have done to me. You all have pulled the wool over my eyes and let me be pulled into the center of a world I don't belong, all of you except Rosalie. Now I'm looking over my shoulder constantly because of Edward. Not only him, but Victoria as well."

Alice's eyes widened in shock. "I completely forgot about Victoria."

"I'm sure, because you're too busy kissing Edward's ass and trying to make him happy, even at the expense of my own unhappiness, and I won't have it." She ignored the vampire's shocked gasp before continuing. "Luckily, Jacob and the Pack know about her and why she's still hanging around, making sure that I'm okay and that she can't get to me. If you and your family are going to be sticking around, how about helping the Pack track down Victoria and get rid of her instead of worrying about me no longer being with Edward?"

Bella had never spoken to her that way. In fact, she had never heard to speak like that at all. Then again, it was possible she was just agitated because she was still sore about Edward's sudden and unprovoked attack and she was just taking it out on her. Alice wished she could do something to not only calm Bella, but have her change her mind about Edward. However, she couldn't see her future clearly anymore, considering she had been able to just fine when she had been with her brother. It had to be because of Jacob Black. But Bella did give her an idea, one that could help Edward get back into Bella's good graces. If he could help keep Bella safe and kill Victoria like James, then perhaps Bella would be grateful to him and might possibly give him another chance.

Liking this idea, Alice told her that she would tell the others about Victoria's presence still in Forks and that she would talk to her again before leaving, leaving Bella and Shadow alone once more. Shadow began to relax with the vampire's departure and Bella suddenly found herself exhausted. Settling back down on the couch, she cuddled Shadow to her and lay on her side, wondering why her life was so complicated. She wished she could be a normal teenager, but she hadn't been normal since finding out Edward and the Cullens were vampires, and then finding out later that Jacob was a spirit wolf Shifter.

Thinking of Jacob, Bella couldn't help but smile. Now Jacob, Jacob made her feel normal, like everything in the world was okay. That no matter what they faced or went through, so long as they were together everything would be alright. Bella remembered the conversation she had had with Ms. Opal the last time she had visited her. Ms. Opal had gotten her to admit her true feelings for Jacob, and Bella hadn't spoken about them since. But she knew for certain that she really liked Jacob. She figured she might be in love with him, but she wasn't completely sure, considering what she first had thought had been her first love had just been infatuation bordering on obsession. But it wasn't like that with Jacob, she knew that in her heart. With Jacob, Bella felt free, like she didn't have to be or live up to something she would never amount to, that she was absolutely perfect in his eyes.

 _Maybe I am,_ Bella thought. _Maybe I really am perfect to Jacob._

She couldn't explain the feelings Jacob evoked in her, but she did know that they made her feel warm inside and she always wanted to be wrapped in that warmth. Being in Jacob's presence, being wrapped up in his warmth, made her feel more alive than she ever had, made her see things in a way she had never before. In fact, whenever she looked at Jacob, she found she could actually _see_ him. Yes, he was still gold like his aura, but she could actually pinpoint every single feature. His tall, muscular build, his cheekbones, his bright eyes, and his wonderfully bright sunny smile. She could see everything, she could feel everything, and it was something she always wanted. She wanted Jacob with her always and forever; she wanted Jacob.

Perhaps she really was in love with Jacob like Ms. Opal was eluding to. Yes, she had admitted that she liked him, but love? Maybe. Cuddling Shadow closer to her, Bella whispered, "What do you think, Shadow? Do you think I might be in love with Jacob?"

Shadow, who had been on the verge of sleep, made a sort of grunting noise before settling back down. Bella giggled softly and kissed his furry head before saying, "Yeah, I think I might be too. And I think the next time I see him, I'll tell him how I feel. No more hiding it or overthinking it. Jacob will definitely know how I feel."

It wasn't long after she had said that did Bella fall back asleep on the couch, sleeping peacefully despite the rude awakening caused by Alice's sudden appearance. And that was how Charlie found her when he returned home, still asleep on the couch with little Shadow snuggled up to her, the both of them sleeping soundly.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'm sorry this chapter is so late. Work has been crazy, especially with Christmas being so close. But I hope you all enjoy this chapter, as short as it is, and stay tuned for more. Also, the next chapter will have Bella confessing her feelings to Jacob. Again, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and thanks so much to those that continue to stick by this story despite my irregular uploading. Thank you so much. Love, SehunsBae37.**


	21. Chapter 21

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 21

The moment Alice arrived back at the Cullen mansion, she hurried inside and called out, "Edward!"

Esme entered the living room from the kitchen and said, "He's not here, Alice. He's gone hunting with Jasper and Emmett. They won't be back for two days."

"I really need to talk to him; it concerns Bella and it is important."

"Actually Alice, Carlisle would like to speak with you for a moment. He's in his study waiting."

Alice frowned before nodding, making her way towards Carlisle's study. As she did, she began looking into the future, wanting to already know what Carlisle was going to say to her. However, all she could really see was Carlisle talking to her with a stern expression on his face, followed by him doing the same with Edward and Edward storming off in anger afterwards. What was Carlisle going to say to them?

When she was in front of Carlisle's closed study door, she raised her hand to lightly knock, only to hear her adoptive father call for her to enter before she could. Turning the doorknob, she opened the door and stepped inside the study where she found Carlisle seated behind his desk, his golden eyes going over medical documents for a cancer patient. Stopping in front of the desk Alice said, "Esme said you wanted to speak to me."

"Indeed," Carlisle said. Setting his documents down he looked up at Alice with a rather irritated expression on his marble face. "Let's start with Edward's attack on the truck Bella was in that you did not stop beforehand."

Her eyes widening Alice said quietly, "Oh."

"Oh? Is that all you have to say? Just 'oh'? You saw him doing this Alice, why didn't you stop it before he had a chance to get near the truck?"

"I got there as quick as I could, Carlisle. Jasper and Rosalie were with me as well to stop Edward from doing any more harm."

"He shouldn't have even gotten that far. He could have killed Bella and seriously harmed Embry Call."

"But he didn't."

"That's besides the point, Alice. I don't know what exactly is keeping you and Edward in the delusion that Bella still wants you around, but it is obvious that she doesn't. She doesn't want to be bothered with any of us, least of all Edward. I also understand that you will do anything and everything that you can in the means to help him, but it's not doing you any favors for Bella."

Alice fidgeted for a moment before saying, "Bella isn't thinking clearly, that's all. She's convinced herself that she doesn't love Edward anymore and is spending all her time with that dog Jacob Black."

Carlisle let out an unnecessary sigh before saying, "Bella has made it rather clear that she doesn't love Edward anymore and would prefer him to stay away. The restraining order she placed against him speaks volumes, Alice. Everyone in town knows about it and it isn't a good look for our family. She sees him as a danger to her, something I'm sorry to say she should have picked up on in the beginning. However, I let my doubts and misgivings about her being around us be blinded by the fact that I wanted Edward to be happy and the fact that he was with her. But it is obvious we are no longer wanted in this new chapter of her life and we need to respect that. And I mean _all_ of us, including you and Edward."

"Edward didn't mean what he did. He just loves Bella so much and feels guilty about the whole James thing."

Alice let out a surprised yelp when Carlisle slammed his fist down on his desk, splinters of wood erupting from the surface and flying everywhere. Carlisle glared at Alice and spoke in a very serious tone of voice. "Stop making excuses for him, Alice. Stop trying to justify what he's doing. Listen to me carefully when I say this, and I won't say it again. Leave Bella alone for good. She's trying to move on with her life and it is obvious she is happy."

"But she needs us in her life, Carlisle!"

"No, she doesn't."

"James' mate Victoria is still out there! Bella mentioned that she's hanging around to get revenge on Edward for James being killed. A mate for a mate is what she is thinking, and she thinks Bella is Edward's mate, just like we know her to be."

Carlisle sat thoughtfully for a moment before speaking again. "Alice, Bella isn't Edward's mate. His Singer, yes. But mate, no. And we will deal with Victoria. I'm sure the Quileute Pack is already making moves to do so as well. We will help them in their endeavors, but after Victoria is gone we're leaving Forks for good."

The Seer vampire's eyes widened in shock at hearing that, as she hadn't had a vision of them departing Forks any time soon. "Edward won't leave willingly. He's not going to leave unless Bella is by his side and he has her love."

"Well, he will just have to. He needs to accept that she no longer loves him and wants him out of her life for good. I can respect that, as can the rest of us. The only ones still in denial about it all is you and Edward. I'm also doing this for the safety of our family. And if you continue to excuse Edward's reckless behavior and encourage his pursuit of Bella, then you and him both will bring the downfall of our coven. And we can all do without that."

He turned back to his documents and proceeded to read them, but not before saying, "I will be speaking with Edward upon his return, so don't even try to forewarn him about what I am to say. You're dismissed."

Alice blanched a bit before slowly turning and leaving, not believing Carlisle had dismissed her like that. He had also never been real stern with her or any of them like that before, but he must be really ticked off to do so. But it wasn't like she was doing anything wrong. There was nothing wrong with wanting to see her brother happy and try and win back his beloved's affections. However, said beloved was making it difficult on all of them.

Leaving the study and closing the door behind her, she let out a frustrated huff before heading towards the garage, grabbing Rosalie's keys to her red convertible on her way. She needed to do something to lift her spirits and clear her head for a bit. She needed to do some therapeutic shopping, and she'd take Rosalie's car just to piss the blonde vampire off.

* * *

The next day Bella sat on the old log on First Beach, her retractable white stick resting upon her lap while Shadow was busy digging holes in the sand. She had had Charlie drop her off here before he headed off to the station, stating that she was meeting Jacob there. Not long after she had been dropped off, she had sent a text to Jacob asking him to meet her there. He had replied saying he was on his way, and during her wait time she had been readying herself for what she was going to say.

Today was the day she was going to be telling Jacob how she felt about him. She had already let it be known to him that she liked him but liking him didn't fully return his feelings. She had the feeling he loved her, was possibly in love with her, and she had concluded that she herself loved him as well. There was nothing to fear about telling him though, as this was Jacob, her best friend and the one person she knew she could tell anything and not have to keep out details. The only thing that scared her about telling him though was the fact that he could possibly reject her, or that maybe he didn't really love her. But Jacob wasn't heartless enough to pretend to have feelings for her. In fact, he was heartless at all; he was too honest and pure of heart to do something like that.

Arms wrapping around her from behind startled her out of her thoughts, a shocked cry escaping her throat as she was pulled back against a hard chest. Hearing Shadow yip and bark happily, she knew it was only Jacob. Calming her quickly beating heart, Bella said, "You didn't have to scare me."

Chuckling Jacob replied, "I'm sorry, honey. I thought you had heard me coming since you can hear things more clearly now ever since losing your sight."

"I can, but sand is rather soft and you move quietly anyway, wolf boy."

Laughing Jacob finished giving the brunette a hug before moving to sit next to her on the beached log. He smiled as Shadow jumped into his lap, reaching up to lick his face in greeting. Scratching the puppy behind his ear absentmindedly, Jacob asked, "So what's up? What did you want to meet for?"

Bella bit her lip for a moment before saying, "I have to talk to you. I mean, I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" Jacob could tell that she was nervous about whatever she had to tell him. He hoped it wasn't anything bad as it was obvious it was serious. Wanting to ease her nerves, he reached over and took her small hand into his larger one, giving it a comforting rub with his thumb. "You can tell me anything, Bells."

He was right, of course he was. She could tell him anything and she had to trust she could tell him this without any consequences. Taking a deep breath Bella opened her mouth a confessed, "I've been thinking a lot lately about us, about you, about how I feel about you. And I know I already let it be known that I like you more than a friend, or at least you have an idea that I do. But in thinking about everything and how I feel about you, I've come to a conclusion."

She paused to look up at his golden aura before looking down at Shadow's seated upon Jacob's. Smiling she reached over and rubbed her Lab puppy's head before saying, "Shadow helped me come to my conclusion as well. Didn't you, boy?"

Shadow yipped in response, causing Bella to giggle and Jacob to smile. Looking back up at Jacob's aura, more specifically where his face was located, she smiled at him and said with the most sincerity, "I love you, Jake."

Jacob stared in shock at Bella, him not fully believing what his ears had just heard. Bella loved him? Really? She really loved him? Needing to ask for his own reassurance, as well as hear her say it again, he asked, "Do you really, Bells? Do you really love me?"

"Yes, I love you Jake."

Brown eyes stared into chocolate brown ones, feeling like they could actually see him. And in those eyes he found nothing but truth, sincerity, and complete and honest love for him. Gently taking her face into his hands, he bent his face down towards hers and paused with his lips just a hair's breadth away from hers. Bella's breath hitched as she felt his body heat grow nearer and felt his breath against her face. Jacob watched as her pupils grew slightly within her chocolate brown irises, her pale face turning pink with a beautiful blush. Smiling he replied in a soft voice, "I love you too, honey."

With that Jacob pressed his lips against Bella's in a soft, loving kiss. The moment their lips touched, Jacob felt as if he were flying high above the ground, while at the same time being held to the ground, the only thing anchoring him was Bella. Bella too was experiencing the same exact feeling as she kissed Jacob, pleasurable tingles traveling throughout her body, all the way to her fingertips and toes. She had never felt like this before when she had first kissed Edward, or any of the times after that. Kissing Jacob was different, it was pleasurable, it felt so _right_.

When the need to breathe became utterly apparent, they broke apart but didn't move away from each other. Jacob's hands still held Bella's face and Bella's hand were clutching Jacob's bare shoulders. When had she put them there? It didn't matter, though. All that mattered in that moment was Jacob and the moment they were sharing together.

Still feeling a bit breathless from the amazing kiss they had just shared, Jacob began, "Bells, I-"

He stopped talking abruptly as he stared into those beautiful eyes that he loved, his whole body going rigid as he did. Bella frowned and asked, "Jake, what's wrong?"

She got no response and was about to ask again, only to suddenly gasp. For some reason, she was able to see Jacob's face so clearly, no longer just his aura or the outline of his face and his features. She was actually seeing _him_ , color and all! And as she looked into his brown eyes, she found herself having the most surreal vision. It was them, only older, and before them were two dark haired children—one boy and one girl. They were running towards Jacob while giggling happily. Was this…were they…Was this a vision of the future? Were those children supposed to be the ones she and Jacob had together? So shocked by the vision and everything that she was feeling, Bella gasped once again and almost reeled backwards from the sheer amazement of it.

"Bella!" Jacob shouted in surprise and quickly grabbed her, pulling her back to him. Looking down at her in concern he asked, "Bells, are you alright?"

"I saw you," Bella breathed out in awe as she stared up at Jacob. She was disappointed to find that she could no longer see his face clearly anymore, but instead was seeing his features through his aura again. "I saw you so clearly. And I saw us…and children…it was a vision."

Jacob's eyes widened in surprise as Bella told him of what she had seen in her vision. He too had seen that same vision the moment he looked into her eyes. A lot had happened just then between them, and it almost confused him. However, he wasn't confused because he knew what had happened. He didn't think it would ever happen to him, but he was glad that it had and with the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He had Imprinted on Bella Swan.


	22. Chapter 22

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 22

Bella lay on her bed later that evening staring at the ceiling—or would be if she could see it—a silly grin on her face. Today had been such a wonderful day! She had not only confessed her feelings for Jacob but had them returned and had had the most amazing kiss in her life. That kiss! It was everything she ever dreamed of! Not even her first kiss or any following with Edward could compare. Jacob's lips and kisses were in a class all their own. But that wasn't the only thing that was on her mind about Jacob, though.

After they had had the most passionate kiss ever, she had been able to catch a glimpse of Jacob, of what he really looked like. He was exactly like how she remembered him before she went blind, only more gorgeous. He was so beautiful, and it was hard for her to believe that such a beautiful creature would only have eyes for her, someone who was so plain and not special in the slightest. Not only that, but she had somehow had a vision of the future, their future. It portrayed them older with two little children of their own, a boy and a girl; she couldn't tell if they had been twins or not. But she had seen it so clearly! It was so real, it made her believe that it could and would happen.

The thought of that made her giggle giddily. However, the giggling soon subsided when the thought that she'd never actually be able to _see_ any child of her own flitted into her mind. Was that vision the only chance she had to see any kids of her own? Taking away the prospect of kids, would she ever be able to see again? Bella had briefly and it felt good to be able to do so, but would it happen again? Or was she destined to spend the rest of her life blind? She didn't like to think so, but there was no indication for her otherwise. And yet, she couldn't help but hope that would change.

From his little puppy bed, Shadow watched his mistress sleepily, having the feeling she was thinking about her mate. She and her mate were now officially together, and the pheromones they had emitted while at the beach were very strong. He was surprised her mate hadn't claimed her right then and there. Maybe it was a human thing, but didn't all species claim their mates immediately? What was his mistress' mate's deal? Oh well, he supposed it didn't matter. They were together and his mistress was happy, and that was all he cared about. No longer able to fight off sleep, Shadow closed his little eyes and soon drifted off to puppy sleepy town.

Finding herself becoming rather tired, Bella got up from her bed and walked to where her rocking chair was, picking up the t-shirt and cotton shorts she was using for pajamas and changed out of her clothes, putting those on before putting her day clothes in her hamper. She walked back to her bed and climbed back onto it, pulling back the sheets and snuggling in under them. She grabbed her cell-phone that was by her pillow and moved to plug it in to charge for the night when it started buzzing in her hand, alerting her to an incoming call.

Pressing the 'Answer' button, Bella held it to her ear and said, "Hello?"

 _"Bella, hi,"_ spoke Angela's voice in her ear.

Smiling Bella replied, "Hi Angela. How are you?"

 _"I'm doing well, can't complain. What about you?"_

"I'm actually doing alright. I guess you can say that after a bit of down days, today was the day that everything seemed to brighten for me,"

Angela giggled into the phone for a moment before saying, _"Jacob."_

Bella giggled as well. "Yes, Jacob."

 _"Tell me what happened."_

"If it's alright, I'd rather tell it to you in person. Maybe we can meet tomorrow?"

 _"Yeah sure, that sounds good. I'd also like to tell you something as well. How about you come over to my place around one o' clock? My parents are taking my brothers to see a movie and I'll be at the house by myself. I'd also really like the company and some girl time that doesn't involve Jessica."_

The brunette nodded in understanding. "Gotcha. Sure, I'll be over tomorrow. I'll just get dad to drop me off; he's going into work later tomorrow because he has a dental appointment in the morning."

 _"Alright, sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow."_

"Good deal. Goodnight Ang."

"Goodnight Bella."

Bella hung up her phone and plugged it in, setting it on her nightstand before settling down to sleep. She soon fell into a contented, happy deep sleep, completely oblivious to the outside world. She didn't wake up when Charlie peeked in half an hour later to check on her, she didn't wake up when Shadow woke up briefly to leave his puppy bed and hop onto hers, burrowing under her sheets and snuggling against her before settling back into sleep, and she didn't wake up when her phone began buzzing again from another call. This call went unanswered of course, but the caller didn't mind and the message left to her voicemail was as sweet as any good home baked pie.

* * *

The next morning, Bella smiled giddily at the kitchen table while listening to the message that was left on her phone the night before. She would play it over and over, giggling to herself as she listened to it. Charlie, who was sipping his coffee and reading the paper, knew the message was from Jacob and it warmed his heart to see his daughter so happy, especially because of Jacob. He had always hoped that they would end up together and now it had finally happened. He believed he could rest easy now knowing his daughter was in a stable and healthy relationship (never mind the fact that it just started) and that she was truly happy. Charlie knew Jacob would take care of and be good to his daughter, no matter what.

After listening to Jacob's message for the fifteenth time, Bella set her phone down and turned back to her bowl of cereal. Taking a bite and chewing, she remembered her phone call from Angela the night before. Swallowing her mouthful, she said, "Hey dad?"

"Hm?" Charlie responded taking a sip of his coffee.

"Angela asked me to go over to her house at about one, and I was wondering if you'd drop me off."

"Sure, no problem kiddo. I'll do that on my way to work later today." Charlie checked the clock on the wall, cursing at the time. "And I've also got to get to my dental appointment now, or I'm going to be late. Will you be alright until I get back?"

Bella nodded in response. "Yeah, I'll be okay."

Charlie nodded and ruffled Bella's hair before grabbing the keys to his cruiser and heading out the door, calling back that he'd be back soon. Bella listened to her father exit the house and get into the cruiser, hearing it start up and back out of the driveway before driving off down the road. She went back to eating her breakfast until she had her fill, then set the bowl of cereal milk on the floor for Shadow to lap up.

To pass the time until Charlie returned home, Bella went back up to her room to change into some day clothes and read the book she had borrowed from the library a week ago. It of course was in Braille and it was so good so far. She had a feeling she would end up loving it by the end. But before changing, she decided to take a shower. Stopping at the hall closet upstairs, Bella reached in and grabbed a towel before heading into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Shadow, who had followed her up the stairs after finishing the bowl of milk, sat outside of the closed bathroom door, patiently waiting for his mistress.

Bella stepped into the shower and cleaned herself, lathering herself with suds and letting the spray of the shower-head rinse them off her body and down the drain. When she was finished, she got out and toweled herself dry before wrapping the towel around herself and heading back to her room. There she put on clean undergarments before putting on a pair of blue jeans and a purple V-neck t-shirt, not that she could tell the color of it. Once those were on, she took the towel and again and towel dried her hair before grabbing her brush and brushing it out. When she thought it presentable, she grabbed a hair tie from her nightstand and pulled it back into a low ponytail. Afterwards she put on a clean pair of socks and shoes before grabbing her white stick and book from her desk and heading back downstairs, Shadow closely following behind her.

The brunette settled on the couch and red her book quietly, passing the time pleasantly as she waited for Charlie. Just as she read the last word of her book, she heard the front door open and Charlie call out, "I'm home, kiddo."

Charlie walked into the living room, smiling as Shadow barked happily and ran around his feet, jumping up on his legs while demanding his attention. Chuckling, Charlie bent down and gave Shadow the love he demanded before looking up at Bella, his daughter looking at him from her place on the couch. Standing back up he asked, "Are you ready to go to the Webers'?"

"Yeah, I'm ready. Also, can you return this book for me? The library is a bit past Angela's house and you can just drop it in the drop-box," Bella said.

"No problem. Come on, let's go."

Charlie, Bella, and Shadow soon all left the Swan house and climbed into the police cruiser, on their way to Angela's house. Ten minutes later they arrived and Bella got out of the car, smiling as she saw Angela's pink aura coming into view. Thanking her dad, Bella told him she'd call Jacob when she was ready to leave before bidding her father 'goodbye' and hearing him leave. Turning back to Angela she said, "It's so good to see you, Angela. I'm sorry we haven't had much time to hang out this summer before the new school year."

Angela smiled and replied, "It's no problem. Besides, I've been dealing with some things that I had to work out myself anyway."

The two girls entered Angela's house and Angela held Bella's hand as they climbed the stairs of the Weber home and she led her into her room. Settling onto her bed, Angela giggled as she watched the black Labrador puppy sniff around her room before saying, "I didn't know you got a dog."

Bella laughed softly and said, "Yeah, I got him from the La Push pet shop. That same day I was hired and I worked their for the summer. I still work there and my boss is pretty chill. He actually gave him to me and told me I could keep him, even pay him back in hard work."

"Wow, that was kind of him."

"I'll say. But I'm grateful though, because having that job has helped my independence more with my blindness." Bella turned to look at Shadow's aura before whistling, instantly getting his attention. She patted her lap and watched as his aura got closer to her before she felt him jump into her lap. Petting him she said, "His name is Shadow, and he lives up to his name pretty well. He follows me everywhere and even protects me from potential danger."

Angela cooed at him and began to pet him, Shadow basking in the attention. As she did she asked, "What kind of danger?"

"Well, I think it's mostly because he knows I can't see, so he's kind of like my eyes whenever I'm alone. So he sees things that I can't see. And as far as dangers, he sees Edward as one."

Upon mentioning him, Angela frowned and said softly, "I can't believe that he's stalking you. The whole town was talking about it when the news broke about your restraining order against him. Has he tried anything since then?"

Knowing she couldn't tell her about the truck incident, she decided to tell her about him being at her home unexpectedly. Making sure to keep it simple and not talk about the supernatural element of it, she said, "He showed up to my house while Jacob and I were there, and Shadow immediately began barking and snapping at him because he picked up on the tension rolling off me and Jacob. He then began to chase Edward around until he finally left."

Angela couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Edward Cullen being ran around and chased off by such a small puppy. Petting the black pup she praised, "Good boy."

Shadow barked happily and licked Angela's cheek before settling himself into her lap. He liked this bespectacled human, and knew she could be trusted, especially if she was a friend of his mistress'.

Looking back up at the brunette Angela said, "So tell me about yesterday. What happened with Jacob to lift your spirits the way it did?"

A bright blush appeared on Bella's face before she answered, "I told Jacob that I loved him."

Angela's eyes widened behind her glasses. "Really?"

"Yes, and he returned my feelings. Not that I doubted he would, but it was nice to hear all the same. And then we kissed and made out in our spot on First Beach before he took me home."

"So are you guys official now?"

Bella giggled and nodded, causing Angela to squeal in excitement and hug her. Pulling away Angela said, "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you, Bella. I hope you don't mind me saying this, but he is such a better fit for you than Edward ever was. I've noticed how attentive he is of you and watching out for you, not in that creepy way Edward would be. Jacob also seems to make you stronger and believe more in yourself, and I love that about him and I'm glad that he's with you."

Hearing her friend tell her that warmed her heart, knowing she had her approval of her new relationship with Jacob. Smiling Bella said, "Thanks Ang. I think I'm going to be really happy with Jacob."

"I know you will."

"Yeah. So, what about you? You said you had something to tell me last night."

Angela's smile fell from her face and she looked down in her lap, locking her eyes on Shadow who kept pawing at the flower design on her pant leg. Taking a deep breath, she replied, "Ben and I broke up last week."

Bella's eyes widened in shock. "What? Oh Ang, I'm so sorry."

Shaking her head Angela responded, "No, it's alright, really. It was mutual, to be honest. We found ourselves slowly but surely not being as into each other as we once were and just thought it better to call it quits."

"But are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. We're still friends, so that's good for us. Besides…"

Angela trailed off and her face began to heat up a bit. When nothing followed Angela's sudden silence, Bella frowned and said, "Angela?"

Taking another deep breath Angela continued, "Besides, I've been talking to someone else now and I think I'm beginning to like him a lot."

Bella's eyes widened yet again at the admission. "Really?"

"Yes, but we're only friends. I promise I wasn't cheating on Ben, I swear."

"No, I don't believe you would do that to Ben. Were you emotionally involved with this guy before breaking up with Ben?"

"I was heading in that direction, and when I realized I was, I knew I had to break things off with Ben before getting too deep. Luckily Ben was thinking the same thing about that time, so it made the breakup easier, though he didn't know about him. But somehow, I think he figured I was developing feelings for someone else, even before I realized I was."

Bella nodded in understanding, knowing that was probably the most likely case. People did sometimes develop feelings for another while with someone else and don't even know it. It would make sense if that was what happened with Angela. Wanting to hear about the guy that was on his way to stealing her friend's heart she asked, "So what's he like?"

"Who?"

"This guy you're talking to. What's he like?"

Angela's blush got deeper before saying almost shyly, "You know what he's like already. It's…it's Embry Call, Jacob's friend."

Bella stared at Angela's pink aura for a moment before letting out a squeal and hugging the bespectacled girl, disturbing Shadow and causing him to move from Angela's lap to sitting on her bed beside of her. Laughing Angela said, "I figured you'd be a bit excited upon hearing this."

"Oh my gosh, Angela! Do you know how big this is?" Feeling Angela shake her head, she pulled back from her and began speaking. "Embry has the biggest crush on you ever, has ever since you first visited Ms. Opal with me. He would always ask about you to me and when I mentioned you were dating Ben, he said he was fine with just being your friend, even though it was obvious he wanted more. But to know you like him too, it makes me so happy. He's such a sweet guy and I think you two will be great together."

"Embry really is such a sweet guy, but we haven't gotten that far just yet. We're still just friends and we're only talking. We haven't had any dates or anything. I haven't even mentioned by breakup from Ben to him yet."

"Don't worry. The moment he finds out you're available, he'll probably wait a week before asking you out."

"I don't know about that."

"He will, trust me. And I totally support you guys when you finally get together."

Angela laughed and playfully shoved Bella before the two of them began talking about this and that, simply enjoying each others' company. It had been a long time since Bella had gotten any girl time with Angela and was glad to have this time again and not worry about Edward or Victoria. During this moment, she was a simple teenage girl with no worries.

* * *

That night, a little after midnight, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward all walked into the Cullen mansion, having returned from their hunting trip. Emmett immediately went to the room he shared with Rosalie, intent on spending time with his mate and reacquainting himself with her body thoroughly. Jasper stood still for a moment before looking at Edward, silently asking him was Alice in the house. Shaking his head Edward replied, "She's not here, Jasper. She must be out for the time being."

Esme, having been coming down the stairs, smiled at the two male vampires and greeted them with hugs before saying, "Welcome home. Jasper, Alice is in Seattle right now; you will find her there."

"Thank you," Jasper replied, his Southern twang coming through before turning to leave the house again and taking off running into the woods.

Edward frowned at Esme, finding her thoughts playing _The Golden Girls_ theme song repeatedly in her head. Looking at his adoptive mother he asked, "What is it?"

Giving her son a small smile, she answered, "I think it's better coming from Carlisle than me. He's waiting for you in his study."

Nodding, Edward headed upstairs to Carlisle's study, wondering what his sire could want and why it had Esme shielding her thoughts from him. Reaching the door, he raised his hand to politely knock, but stopped when Carlisle's voice said, "Come in, Edward."

Opening the study door, Edward stepped inside and closed it behind him before saying, "Esme says you have something to say to me."

Carlisle looked up from his computer and took off his unnecessary reading glasses, a stern expression on his face. Gesturing to the chair in front of his desk he said, "Have a seat, Edward. It's about time that you and I had a talk."


	23. Chapter 23

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

 **Author's Note: Hi guys, I'm back with this story. Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I promise, I haven't forgotten about it or lost my muse; I'm on a string of days at work and trying to find the time to write when I'm tired is hard. But it won't stop me from still getting this chapter out to you all. This chapter's sole focus will be on Carlisle's talk with Edward and the aftermath. I hope you all enjoy this chapter for what it is and stay tuned for more to come. Love, SehunsBae37.**

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 23

Edward frowned in confusion, trying to figure out what Carlisle wanted to speak with him about. He couldn't read his mind as the blond vampire was keeping him out, so he didn't know what he wanted to talk about. But judging from his stern expression, it wasn't something good. Taking a seat in the proffered chair, Edward asked, "What is it that you want to talk about, Carlisle?"

Carlisle stared at Edward for a moment before finally saying, "Edward, it's time that you officially leave Bella alone. And I mean for good this time."

That wasn't what he thought his sire had to say to him at all. Stay away from Bella? He could never! She was his mate, she belonged to him, and he decided to tell Carlisle that.

"I can't do that, Carlisle. Bella is my mate, we belong together. She belongs to me and I won't stop until I have her back."

"No, she isn't Edward. Bella is not your mate; Singer, yes, but mate, no. And as the days go by, you are proving time and again that she isn't really your mate and that you are obsessed with her, an obsession I should have nipped in the bud a long time ago."

Edward blinked at Carlisle in surprise. "How can you say that? How can you deny that she's my mate? How can you deny me my happiness? After so many years of loneliness I finally found the perfect mate and you want me to just walk away?"

Carlisle's stern expression hardened. "Stop making this about you solely about you, Edward."

"I'm not, I'm concerned about Bella, too. I'm concerned about her safety, her happiness. I love her after all."

"If you were really concerned about her and loved her like you claim, then you would leave her alone like she's been trying to get you to do. And she does want you to leave her alone, Edward. She wants nothing more to do with you, with us. Does a certain restraining order ring any bells?"

"She didn't really mean it, Carlisle. She loves me, she does! It's just the fact that she's been hanging around Jacob Black and he's filled her head with lies about me that she won't return to my side."

Carlisle sat back in his chair for a moment in silence before finally saying, "You sound just as delusional as Alice."

Edward bristled at hearing his sire say that, even more so to see in Carlisle's mind that he's already spoken to Alice, as well as mentioned his attack on the truck Bella and Embry Call were in. Seeing that Carlisle not only knew about it, but was also rather angry about it, made Edward feel a tad guilty. However, there was nothing to do about it now. Clearing his throat unnecessarily, Edward began to speak again.

"Carlisle, I understand that you are angry with my recent actions, but it wasn't like I intended to harm Bella."

"Edward, be quiet. Nothing you can say will fix what you've done and I am tired of your delusions about Bella. You need to leave her alone, we all do, but you especially."

"But she needs me in her life, Carlisle!" By this point, Edward was standing up from his seat.

Carlisle glared at Edward and stood up at well. "Like hell she does. Now you listen to me, and I mean listen good because I won't be repeating myself. Bella is not nor has ever been your mate in any way, shape, or form. You should have heeded my warnings about staying away from her in the beginning, but you didn't. I take responsibility for not being more firm because I wanted to see you happy, but I see my misstep caused more harm than good. Bella now has to live the rest of her life blind, but she's also realized that being with you has been toxic for her. She's finally happy now, living her life and she doesn't need you ruining it. You are stalking her, Edward. You are stalking her and it's not right. She's placed a restraining order against you that you don't abide by and are not only distressing her but riling up the Quileute Pack that now are protecting her. And getting Alice involved as well isn't doing you any favors. Stay away from Bella, and I mean it."

Edward stood in silence staring at his sire in surprise. Carlisle was serious about what he said. He really expected him to leave the love of his life alone and let her live happily without him. But he couldn't do that, not when she belonged to him. Shaking his head he said, "I can't do that, Carlisle."

Carlisle glared at his son in response. "You better, Edward."

"I won't."

The next thing Edward knew—and it surprised him greatly—his head was slammed into the wall, the drywall cracking and falling away as Carlisle held his head there, his arms held behind his back by his sire. Surprise evident in his voice he cried out, "Carlisle!"

"You leave that girl alone, Edward. She's already dealt with enough because of us, and we have no right to impose anymore distress on her. We need to right our wrong and then we pack up and leave for good. Do you understand me?"

"What wrong have we done?" Edward tried to raise his head from the wall, but Carlisle pushed it back in place.

"Victoria is still lurking around trying to get to Bella to kill her because you killed her mate. The Pack are already dealing with it to protect her and stop Victoria, and we will join their efforts to do the same. Once Victoria is dealt with, we leave Forks and Washington behind for good."

"And what of Bella?"

"And Bella will finally be happy. And it seems to me that she already is with Jacob Black."

Hearing this had Edward thrashing. "No! No, _I'm_ her happiness! _Me_! And I'll be damned if I let that filthy dog have Bella!"

Planting his feet against the wall, Edward pushed off it and both he and Carlisle flew back into Carlisle's desk, the desk collapsing under them and wooden splinters going everywhere. Carlisle's grip on Edward had loosened, allowing for Edward to break free. Quickly standing, he turned to face his sire before hissing out, "I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving until Bella is by my side. She wanted to be with me, to be a part of our family. If Bella wants her wish to be a vampire granted, she's got it. I'm not going anywhere without her by my side, and as a vampire she'll have no choice."

Before Carlisle could stop his son, Edward quickly ran away. Carlisle got up and went after him down the stairs, but Edward was long gone by then. Cursing he turned and came face to face with Esme, a distraught expression on her beautiful face.

"Carlisle, we can't let him do this," Esme said, walking up to him and gripping his shirt lightly.

Placing his hands on her shoulders Carlisle reassured, "We won't, Esme. We'll protect Bella and stop Edward. I'll have to make a few calls, though. We all won't be able to do it by ourselves."

Esme nodded. "And what if…what if it has to come to Edward's…Edward's death?"

A sad expression came over Carlisle's face. "I hope it doesn't have to come to that, but if it does, then so be it. It's my fault I let him get this far concerning Bella and I have a right to stop it in any way I can. I should have been more proactive about keeping him away from her like Rosalie."

The Cullen matriarch hugged her husband comfortingly before saying, "We'll get through this. But for now, let's focus on how to stop Edward. Who is it that you're going to call?"

Carlisle hesitated for a moment before finally answering, "I might have to involve Aro in this one."

Esme gasped in surprise and pulled away to look at Carlisle. "The Volturi?"

"No, just Aro. I don't want to involve Caius, Marcus, and the whole guard if I don't have to, especially Caius because of the Pack."

Nodding in understanding Esme said, "Then you better move quickly, before things get much worse than they are now."

Knowing his wife was right, Carlisle pressed a loving kiss on her forehead before heading back up to his office. Stepping in and closing the door behind him, he walked over to his destroyed desk and picked up his cell phone amid the destroyed piece of furniture. Opening it, he scrolled through his contacts briefly before finding Aro's name and calling it, holding the device to his ear. The phone rang once before it was picked up and Aro's smooth and somewhat cheery voice began to speak.

 _"Carlisle, my old friend. I didn't expect a call from you, and on my personal calling device at that,"_ Aro said cheerfully in greeting.

"Hello Aro, I hope all is well," Carlisle replied politely.

 _"As well as always. How are things for you and that lovely family? How is Edward?"_

Carlisle swallowed unnecessarily. "Things aren't going to be too good for my family, Aro. And it pains me to say it, but Edward will be the problem."

 _"Oh really? And why is that, you say?"_

"If it is alright with you, I'd rather discuss this face to face."

Aro was silent for a moment before speaking again. _"It must be rather serious then. Not to worry, I will listen to what is causing your family plight. I will arrive in Forks in no less than twenty-four hours. I will leave Marcus and Caius in charge while I am gone. I have the feeling you don't want to speak with them about this issue of yours."_

"No, I don't, and thank you Aro. I will see you soon."

 _"You too, old friend."_

Carlisle hung up his phone and let out an unneeded breath. Hopefully he acted quick enough before things got out of control. But one thing he knew about his first creation, Edward could be very unpredictable when he felt things weren't going his way. He just hoped he made the right call involving Aro this time.


	24. Chapter 24

Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 24

Alice sighed as she sat in Rosalie's convertible, the backseat and trunk full of clothes bags from the therapeutic shopping she had done. She had ended her shopping sooner than she hoped and thus had been sitting in the car in the parking lot for the past hour. And in doing so, she had looked into the future of the talk Carlisle was going to have with Edward. She had seen that it wasn't going to end well and saw that Edward had basically told Carlisle that he would turn Bella himself. She hadn't thought he would go that far considering he was adamant about her staying human, so his sudden change in attitude about it was slightly jarring.

Feeling a presence next to her in the passenger seat, she turned her head and came face to face with her mate. Upon seeing him, she instantly felt calm, and not from hm using his gift. In a soft voice she said, "Jazz."

Jasper looked over at Alice and gently took hold of her hand before asking, "What's wrong?"

"It's Edward. Carlisle…he had a talk with me earlier about interfering in Bella's life and that I needed to stop it, especially with her not wanting us around her anymore." Jasper nodded in understanding, silently prompting his mate to continue. "Well, he talked with Edward about the same thing, and I couldn't help but look into the future to see what would happen."

"And I'm guessing Edward didn't take it too well?"

Alice shook her head. "Not only that, but he…Jasper, he threatened to turn Bella himself."

Jasper stared at Alice for a moment before nodding once again. He knew better than to tell Alice he told her this would happen, because he had, but he saw no reason to rub it in her face. However, this did pose a problem for not only his mate, but for the clan as a whole. There seemed to be no choice but to stop Edward, something he was kind of looking forward too, especially if he had to get dirty to stop him—he never did find Edward great anyway, just majorly spoiled.

"Okay, we'll stop him from harming Bella; don't worry," Jasper told Alice reassuringly.

"Victoria is still out there after Bella, too," Alice said.

"We'll stop them both, don't worry. For now, let's get home to see what Carlisle wants to do."

Alice nodded and allowed Jasper to kiss her forehead before she went to crank the convertible, thinking Rosalie was pissed off with her for taking her car without asking. However, as soon as she touched the key in the ignition, she gasped as she was suddenly thrown into a vision. It was brief, but it was enough to tell her exactly what Carlisle's next move was concerning Edward.

Seeing his mate go rigid—something she did when having a sudden vision—Jasper gently took hold of Alice's face and looked into eyes saying, "Alice, talk to me. Tell me what you're seeing."

Blinking Alice looked at Jasper and breathed out, "Carlisle called Aro."

Jasper was surprised that Carlisle had made that call, especially knowing it was more than likely because of Edward. If he had called Aro, then that meant that Carlisle didn't know what to do about his golden child anymore. He honestly should have done something when that restraining order against Edward was served, but he supposed better late than never. Understanding that things were possibly taking a turn for the worse—maybe, he could be wrong—he told Alice to start the car and they head back to Forks. Nodding in agreement, Alice started Rosalie's convertible and pulled out of the parking space she was in, intent on leaving Seattle and getting to Forks as quick as possible.

* * *

The next day, Bella was in Port Angeles with Angela, the two of them doing some back to school shopping. Tagging along with them was Jacob and Embry, and of course, little Shadow. Normally, the stores wouldn't allow dogs inside, but seeing as Shadow was technically Bella's guide dog, they allowed it. He was still a puppy, but at four almost five months, he had grown significantly. In fact, he was rather large for a four-month-old puppy. But as far as he was concerned, that allowed him to protect his mistress more than when he was smaller.

At the moment, they were inside of a store where Angela and Bella were picking out clothes for the new school year. Angela helping Bella pick her outfits out. Jacob and Embry, not knowing anything about clothing, gave their opinion on what they thought what color would look good on the girls. Both boys had done the right thing and drew the girls away from picking anything orange, finding it a garish color that didn't necessarily look good with anything. Bella smiled as she watched Angela's pink aura and Embry's green aura mingle together not too far off from where she was, the two of them obviously close together. She hoped that Angela would let Embry know that she liked him, but only when she felt comfortable enough to want to start dating Embry though.

Arms wrapped around her from behind and soft lips kissed her neck before Jacob's voice said, "You're supposed to be shopping, not staring at our friends canoodling."

"They're canoodling?" Bella asked surprised.

"No, but the hearts in their eyes and how they're smiling and laughing with each other might as well lead up to it."

Giggling, Bella around in Jacob's embrace and said, "I'd rather be canoodling with you, though."

Jacob chuckled and kissed Bella's lips, holding her closer as he did. Parting he kissed her forehead before suggesting that she and Angela finish shopping so they could all eat. Ten minutes later, they all left the store and headed back to Angela's car, climbing in and allowing the bespectacled girl to drive them to the nearest restaurant. Soon they pulled into a parking lot and got out, Embry holding the door open for them and Jacob helping Bella inside, Shadow leading way beside of her white stick. Stepping up in front of the podium where the hostess was, Bella asked, "A table for four, please."

The hostess turned her nose up at Shadow before saying, "I'm sorry, but we don't allow pets. I'm sorry, but we can't seat you."

"But he's not a pet, he's a guide dog," Angela replied.

"So?" the hostess said rudely.

" _So_ that means that he helps to guide blind people and is by all means a type of service dog," Embry inputted annoyed.

"And?"

Jacob glared at the woman. "What do you mean 'and'? She is blind, damn it! Don't tell me that you discriminate against blind people and their guide dogs."

At that moment, a man in a nice shirt and blazer stepped up saying, "We do not, and I'm sorry our hostess was rude to you. Please, take a seat wherever you like. Clarissa, in my office _now_."

Jacob and Embry glared at Clarissa before following Angela, Bella, and Shadow to a table in the restaurant. However, as they came upon a large booth, Shadow stopped and began growling, his hackles rising as he did. Frowning down at her dog Bella asked, "Shadow, what's the matter?"

"Why, if it isn't Isabella Swan," a silky-smooth voice suddenly spoke, the sound of it sending chills down Bella's back.

Slowly turning, Bella looked at two dark auras, one with a bit of gold and the other red. With how Shadow was growling and how she felt Jacob tense up behind her—Embry probably doing the same—she immediately knew what creatures were there. _Vampires_ , Bella couldn't help but think, she herself stiffening.

"Bella, it's good to see you," Carlisle's voice spoke, his voice causing her to calm down a little. Looking at her companions he said, "Hello Jacob, Embry. And you must be Angela Weber."

Angela smiled at Carlisle politely and replied, "Hi Dr. Cullen."

Jacob and Embry, though not relaxed in the slightest, both gave their own hellos, their voices a bit terse. Finding her voice, Bella breathed out, "Hi Carlisle. Um, wh-who's your friend?"

Looking at his companion Carlisle said, "This is my associate, Aro…Volturi."

If Bella hadn't tensed up much before, she definitely did then. She remembered Edward telling her about them and that Carlisle used to be a part of the Volturi. And to now know that one of them, one of the _kings_ of vampires was here, it made her feel a little faint as her heart sped up in her chest.

Hearing how fast the little human's heart had sped up, Aro knew that his presence was distressing for her. And judging from the reactions of two of her companions, they did not like him there either. They also smelled horrendous, like wet dogs. Realizing who they were Aro thought, _So these are the spirit wolf Shifters Carlisle told me about._ He then looked at the larger one of the two with his brown contact covered eyes and saw how close he was to Bella, how he seemed even more tense than the other one. _And this must be her knew lover. Well, I can definitely say the people in my dear friend's life are interesting ones._

Angela, picking up on the suddenly tense atmosphere, smiled politely at the two men and said, "It was good to see you Dr. Cullen, and it was nice meeting you Mr. Volturi. We didn't mean to interrupt your meal, so we'll be on our way."

"Actually, we'd like for you to join us if you please," Aro spoke.

"No," Jacob growled, his hand grabbing Bella's while Embry placed a placating hand on his shoulder.

"I insist. After all, it is about Isabella's…stalker problem."

Blinking in surprise, Bella asked slowly, "So…you're here to…to help?"

Aro smiled and tilted his head. "You could say that. Carlisle brought to my attention that young Edward seems to not be taking heed of the restraining order against him. He also told me that he seems to no longer be able to control him enough to leave you alone. So in a last ditch effort, he has reached out to me to help."

Angela's eyes widened. "Oh, so you're a lawyer."

"…Yes."

Turning to the brunette, Angela said, "Bella, this is great. If the court order isn't working against Edward, then just take him to court and let Mr. Volturi represent you."

The two Shifters, vampires, and Bella all knew that wasn't likely to happen, but something else instead would. And if Bella did take Aro up on his offer with Carlisle—whatever it was—then it would definitely be done outside of a courthouse. Looking back at Carlisle and Aro, Bella opened her mouth to speak, but closed it, not sure what to say. Biting her lip, Bella finally asked, "So you can really keep Edward away from me?"

"Oh, I will be doing more than that. I will make a decision where he will have no choice but to leave you alone," Aro replied. His eyes then narrowed and his voice sounded as if it was dripping knives. "And if not, there will be _grave_ consequences."

Clearing his throat, Carlisle looked at Bella saying, "Of course, you don't have to answer now. Just…give me a call when you make up your mind. As you know, I don't like having to do this to my son, but it's about time I put my foot down and time for him to learn he can't always get what he wants."

Nodding Bella said, "O-Okay."

Standing Aro took hold of Bella's hand, completely ignoring Shadow's bark at him and the pup biting at his suit's pant-leg and kissed the back of it. Bella could feel him inhale the scent of her blood as he did, Jacob and Embry hearing it. Releasing her hand, he said, "Until next time, Isabella. I look forward to hearing from you soon."

Bella blinked before swallowing hardly and nodding, allowing Jacob to usher her to a table as far away from the two vampires as possible. Once they got a table, Angela excused herself to the restroom, allowing for Jacob, Embry, and Bella to speak about what just happened briefly. Leaning towards Jacob and Bella, Embry asked, "What the hell just happened?"

"It seems like that leech just offered to help Bella with her leech problem," Jacob answered. Looking down at Bella he asked, "Who is that leech? It seems like you know him."

Shaking her head Bella answered, "I don't know him, but I know _of_ him, of _them_. That's Aro, one of the three leaders of the Volturi. He's basically like…the king of the vampires, and he and Carlisle are…friends. And one of them, according to Edward, hates werewolves."

Jacob and Embry looked at each other incredulously. The doctor leech called in a fucking _king_?! Was he crazy?! Jacob looked towards the two vampires who were deep in conversation before looking back at the brunette. "Has the doc lost his damn mind?"

"He's going to get us killed if he's the one that hates werewolves," Embry said tensely.

Bella leaned against Jacob and said, "I know, and that has me worried as well. But…but maybe…maybe he could be the true answer to my Edward stalking problem."

"You don't actually trust him, do you?" Jacob asked.

Bella turned to look at Carlisle and Aro once more before looking up at Jacob's golden aura. Feeling Shadow rub against her leg comfortingly, she answered, "I might just have to."


End file.
